I Should Have Told You
by Fenik
Summary: A young detective by the name of Ahiru finds herself employed by the famous prodigy, L. Will she resolve her own feelings for the dark-haired genius before their time runs out?
1. Chapter 1

'Wow…this place is so big

'_Wow…this place is so big! And it's owned by one person? He must be super rich!' _you thought to yourself, glancing out of the window as you pulled up across the street from the skyscraper.

'_I would like to meet the owner…but…that's not why I'm here tonight.'_

You were wearing tight black leather pants, a similar shirt, a black vest; pockets filled with helpful items, and to complete the outfit a black mask which covered the upper half of your face. You looked down at your watch, and then at your laptop. On the screen were five panels…surveillance cameras from inside the building. You had managed to hack into the system. It had been a hard one to crack, but you didn't have a reputation as one of the best hackers for nothing. You grinned, everything was going to plan. Each panel was devoid of life. _'Excellent…now I've just got to disarm the alarm…heh, I'm rhyming. There we go, alarm deactivated.'_

You slipped out of the car, blending with the shadow of the fence surrounding the skyscraper.

'_2:52am' _you thought, checking your watch.

You efficiently hauled yourself over the northern wall and made your way slowly across the soft grass, as silent as a wraith. You pressed yourself against the hard surface of the building, and painstakingly slowly edged your way to the third window along. _'Third on the bottom…that's what the man said…' _you thought, thinking back.

Two days ago, you had received a telephone call asking if you would accept a mission to retrieve a secret file stored in a computer on the twenty-seventh floor of the building you were about to enter. The voice on the phone had informed you that the file contained information on the identity of Kira, the criminal murderer. That had immediately sparked your attention, and you had accepted right away.

You double-checked that the alarm had been disabled before prying the window open and slipping stealthily inside. Your feet padded lightly on the carpeted floor, as you made your way down a dark corridor. Tapping on the computer attached to your left wrist, a map of the building opened, and you noted that you had to turn left and continue on until you found a flight of stairs, then make your way up 27 flights of stairs. _'27? Really? Why couldn't I just take the lift…' _

You mushroom sighed; momentarily distracted by the amount of steps you had to climb to reach your goal. You refocused and began to make your way up the stairs. By the 10th flight of stairs, your legs were already burning, and by the 17th flight, you were ready to murder the next person you saw. You dragged yourself up yet another flight and looked up to see the number 30 printed on a sign in front of you. _Kuso! I passed it already!' _you mentally yelled, rushing back down three flights.

Scolding yourself, you looked down at your map to find yourself nearly opposite the room with the file. You did a peace sign and grinned, before realising where you were. Sweatdropping, you slowly opened the door and slipped inside. It was a massive dark room, only lit by the glow of the computer screen at the far end of the room. Glad that you had nearly finished your mission, you walked over to the computer and looked at the screen. On the screen was typed 'Gotcha' above by a chibi black-haired figure lazily poking its tongue out. Cold metal pressed itself against the back of your neck, and you froze. "I nearly didn't notice you on the monitors, Ahiru-chan," came a low voice behind you.

'_KUSO! What now! Are they going to really shoot me?! Wait…how did they know that was my call sign…unless…'_

The metal was still pressed against your throat, and you swallowed nervously. "How do you know-" you said, then taking your enemy by surprise you pivoted around, grabbed their arm and hauled them over your shoulder. Not giving them time to recover, you pulled their hands behind them and sat on their back. You grinned, amused that you had gotten the better of them. "Think again," came their muffled voice, and they rolled until you were on the bottom, facing your captor. You stared up at them, mouth parted in surprise. Sitting on top of you was a man of around 20, he had messy raven hair, and dark eyes that you felt you were drawn into. You also noted that he had dark bags under his eyes and smelt like sugar (XDDDDD). "Who are you?" you gasped, finding it hard to draw breath.

Still sitting on you, he bit his thumb. _'Habit maybe?' _you wondered to yourself.

"I am your current employer," he said finally, and looked down at you for your reaction.

You exploded. "WHAT?! You're the one who paid me to copy the file?!"

He nodded at you, as you struggled to fit the pieces into place. "But then….why?" you managed to get out.

"I was testing you…" he replied, emotionlessly.

"Testing me? For what?" you spluttered, completely confused.

"I wanted to see how you'd get the file," he said, nonchalantly.

Lost for words, you glared up at the young man sitting astride you. "Could you GET OFF ME!" you shouted, angered by his lack of movement.

He complied, and stood up. You pulled yourself off the floor, and straightened up to face him. _'What bad posture' _you thought.

"Well…" you started, hinting at the man.

He merely stared at you, waiting for you to continue. Furrowing your neat brows, you asked if you had passed the test. He stared at you a moment longer before succinctly replying, "No."

An anger mark pulsed on your forehead, and you felt like punching him. "Why not?" you said, barely managing to stop yourself from beating him senseless.

"I was holding a fork."

"Oh."

All your rage disappeared, and you realised that he was right. _'Kuso! I'm such a baka! I should have made sure there was no one in the room before I went to the computer…it was a trap after all'_

You crossed your arms, and glanced up to see the man's stare directed straight towards your chest. Your eyebrow twitched in anger, and you raised your left arm to punch him. He easily dodged the blow and grabbed your arm as you went by, carried by your momentum. He examined the computer attached to your wrist, carefully prodding it with his silver utensil. "Hey! You know how long that took to build!" you said, thinking of the months of hard work to finally finish your fully customised computer wristband.

Completely ignoring you, he continued to examine it, obviously enraptured by the design. You stood, tapping your foot in annoyance. "You built this?" he asked softly, the question taking you by surprise.

"What? Oh, yeah. It's completely my design," you said, proudly.

"Hmm…I could improve this…" you heard him mumble.

'_That's it! He can attack me with cutlery, sit on me, and make me go through stupid exams, which I didn't even pass! But HE CAN'T DISS MY COMPUTER!_'

You yanked your arm back, and kneed him in the stomach. You made a break for the door, but arms wrapped around your legs, which brought you crashing down. "Build me one of those," said the man, phrasing it as a demand rather than a question.

"No…build…one…yourself…if…you…can…do…it…better," you replied, kicking at him after every word.

"What ever you want, you can have it," he said, a tinge of pleading in his voice.

The thought of money stopped you…that and your leg was getting tired. "How much are we talking?" you asked, cunningly.

His puppy dog eyes looked up at you and he replied, "How ever much you want."

Yen signs appeared in your eyes, and you inwardly cheered at the thought of eating this month. "Okay…I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Ryuuzaki, who's this

"Hey, Ryuuzaki, who's this?" asked a deep voice.

"A guest," replied a voice you recognised as the man from before.

Your eyes snapped open as you realised that you weren't still dreaming. _'What am I still doing here? I must have fallen asleep…oh…this blanket is soft…WAIT! Focus! What do I do now?'_

You saw that you were lying on a leather couch, and at the head of the couch was 'Ryuuzaki.' The first thing that struck you was the way that he was sitting. _'Man, does he have some weird habits!' _

The second thing that struck you was that there were five men standing around the couch staring down at you with puzzled expressions. Feeling embarrassed, you scrambled up to sit on your knees. "Uh…ohiyo," you greeted, bowing to each of the men in turn.

There was a black-haired man in a teal suit that introduced himself as Matsuda. You took an immediate liking to his uncomplicated ways and open smile, sensing that he was a good person. There was a man in a some-what beige suit also with black-hair, he was called Aizawa. He grinned at you, and you grinned back, feeling his devotion and kindness. Another man in a blue suit, smiled, as you looked his way. He introduced himself as Mogi, and you could sense that he was similar to Aizawa and smiled back. The next man, clothed in brown, with gray-streaked black hair called himself Yagami. His determination and dedication was immediately apparent to you…also his inner turmoil. The last man to introduce himself was also called Yagami, you realised that the older man standing beside him was his father. He was wearing a high-school uniform, and you marveled at the reason behind his attendance. Being no fool, you had deduced that this was the mysterious headquarters for the opposition of Kira. You glanced once again at Yagami Light, on first glance he seemed like an average teenage boy, however, on second glance, you realised that behind his fake smile, he was…something you couldn't name. You continued to stare at him, oblivious to the discomfort your stare was causing in the room. Matsuda cleared his throat loudly, and you turned to look. You stared in him blankly, waiting for him to say something. "So…what's your name, Miss?" Aizawa eventually asked to break the silence.

"Oh…it's Ahiru," you said, happily.

"So why are you here?" Mogi asked.

"She's making me a computer," Ryuuzaki said.

It was then you realised that both your pocketed black vest and your computer wristband had disappeared. You lurched to your feet, swiveling your head to locate your beloved items. "If you want to know, I put them next to my computer," Ryuuzaki said.

You practically sprinted over there to check that your precious items were unharmed. You sighed in relief, and turned to look accusingly at Ryuuzaki. "You took them off me while I was sleeping!" you said, pointing at him.

He nodded. You sweatdropped. "So…where's this L?" you asked, taking everyone off guard.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda asked, visibly sweating.

"Oh come **on**! Your headquarters just happens to be a massive **empty **building. You have more difficult computer firewalls than I've ever seen before. I was called here to copy a file regarding the identity of Kira, and if that's not enough, some present here are obviously members of the police force," you said, slightly amused by their gaping expressions.

"That's a nice theory, Miss Ahiru, but-" started Yagami.

"There's no buts about it, I've already decided. And I already know which one of you is L," you said.

You slowly turned to face the man called Ryuuzaki. "Nice to meet you, **L**."

Ryuuzaki/L merely glanced at you before going back to typing on his computer. "Hn. I guess I was right."

"How could you know?" Aizawa asked, still trying to follow your thinking process.

"Just a hunch. And besides…anyone that strange **has **to be a genius," you said, suppressing an urge to giggle at L's sour expression.

"I guess I can see your point," laughed Matsuda, rubbing the nape of his neck.

The five men all turned to look at Matsuda, and he stopped laughing and mumbled something under his breath before leaving the room. Chuckling, you turned and walked up behind where L was sitting typing on his computer. "So, about the deal we made this morning?" you asked.

He turned and looked at you, still typing. Your eyebrow twitched. _'If this guy wasn't a genius, he would definitely be a nutcase.' _

"I get to live here until I finish my computer for you, then you'll pay me the amount we decided on? Half upfront?" you queried, delighted at the deal.

'YATTA! I don't have to pay rent for the next few months! And free food! How could I refuse!'

"Un."

"Let's shake on it."

You held out your hand, waiting for him to take it. He stared at it a second before tentatively reaching out his own hand and taking it in his. His grasp was cool and his fingers were calloused. He quickly shook your hand, and turned back to the computer. You took this as a sort of dismissal and backed away. "Go and buy your materials, Watari has money for you down in the foyer," L said, face still glued to his screen.

Practically skipping, you bounced down to the foyer where you met an old man in a black business suit. He was holding a brown envelope, obviously your allowance. "Miss Ahiru?" he asked, in a deep but pleasant voice.

You nodded, grinning from ear to ear, and he handed you the envelope. "I am to accompany you on your journey-"

You groaned inwardly.

"-and we will be taking the limo parked outside."

You looked around him and saw a gorgeous black stretch limo outside the building. You mentally cheered, thinking about all the good things that were happening. You grabbed Watari by the wrist and dragged him outside to the limo, eager to be on your way.

Meanwhile, back on the 27th floor, there was a discussion about you. "So you just randomly decided to hire someone to break in?!" Aizawa asked, disbelieving.

L nodded. "But why her?" questioned Matsuda, after recently reentering the room.

"She's one of the best in Japan," L said.

"Why haven't we ever heard of her then?" Mogi asked.

L gave him an 'are-you-really-that-stupid' look. Yagami cleared his throat and said, "I think that what Ryuuzaki's trying to say is that she wouldn't be that good if we **had** heard of her."

Looking over L's shoulder, Light read your file. "Apparently, she's the third greatest detective in the world, and apparently she will go to any lengths necessary to find what ever she is hired for," Light said, "Even break-ins clearly."

"Heh, I guess that means she bested one of your personas then, Ryuuzaki-kun," Matsuda said, chuckling.

"But she can't be any more than 20 years old!" exclaimed Mogi.

L turned to look at him. "I…uh…point taken," Mogi spluttered.

"We shall have to keep an eye on her at any lengths," Yagami decided.

"I'm asking her to join the investigation," L said, emotionlessly.

"What? Why?" Matsuda asked.

"She bested one of my fake identities. She could discover something I have overlooked, and besides…keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, or competition in this case."

Unable to think of a reason to object, it was voted that she would join the investigation.

Oblivious to all of this, you had happily invaded all the electronics stores in the district, and were now sitting quite contently in the back of the limo, on the way back to the headquarters. You lithely hopped out of the limo, and walked inside the building, leaving Watari to drag in all your purchases. As he made his way into the foyer with all your bags, you realised that you had forgotten to help him and apologised profusely. "No problem, Miss Ahiru, Ryuuzaki asked me to assist you in any way possible," he panted, loading all of your bags into the elevator, and stepping in just as the doors shut. _'Hmm…any way possible, huh?'_

"I just don't understand how such a small computer could need all these bags," he said, as the elevator ascended.

"You need the exact materials on hand to make a computer such as mine," you said, stepping out of the elevator on the 27th floor.

You entered L's room and completely ignoring the meeting that was taking place, you sat down at the table next to L and started work. You were fiddling around with your bags, your tongue sticking out when you heard someone cough loudly behind you. Dismissing it, you continued your construction. _'I'm no genius but I think someone needs a lozenge'_

They coughed louder, and you looked over your shoulder. All six of the men were turned to face you, some with annoyed expressions. L being L was merely staring at you with his blank expression. "What's up everybody?" you asked, blinking.

"We have voted to allow you to join the investigation, Ahiru-chan," Matsuda burst out, "We'll be working together!"

In his mind, he had already imagined the two of you going out on a date. You stared at them all, slightly disbelieving. "Thanks, but no thanks," you dismissed, and turned back to your work.

"But Ryuuzaki is offering you permanent residence in the building if you agree, meals provided!" Mogi said, understanding that your cooperation could be greatly advantageous to the investigation.

You swiveled around in your chair, your legs crossed on the soft leather. "Permanent…residence?" you questioned, looking at L.

He slightly inclined his head, and you leapt up from the chair and threw your arms around him. "Arigatou Ryu-kun!" you squeaked, overcome with happiness, "I'll do it! Just tell me how I can help!"

"You might want to let him go, Ahiru-chan," laughed Matsuda.

"Oh…gomennasi Ryu-kun!" you said, pulling yourself off the startled detective. Unbeknownst to you, L turned and glared straight at Matsuda, who stopped laughing and looked down at the floor apologetically. Then, something occurred to him. "Ryu-kun?" he asked, somewhat dubiously.

"Uhuh," you said, smiling at him.

He stared at you, unable to comprehend how you were reasoning. He looked down at his hands and mumbled, "Ryu-kun…"


	3. Chapter 3

You had been working on your computer for the last few hours, everyone else apart from L who practically lived in this room, h

You had been working on your computer for the last few hours, everyone else apart from L who practically lived in this room, had gone home after a lengthy discussion about Kira's method of killing. You sighed, frustrated that you couldn't seem to find the right screwdriver. "What's the point of buying 500 of the damn things when you can't even find the one you want!!" you shouted, messing up your hair in agitation.

"Do you need this?" L said, holding up a screwdriver, still staring at his computer screen and typing with one hand.

You sat there with your mouth hanging open in shock. "YOU TOOK MY BLOODY SCREWDRIVER!" you raged, standing up to throttle the thief with the piece of wire in your hand.

"I merely borrowed it, there's no need for anger, Ahiru-chan," L said, with his normal emotionless voice.

You glared at him as you walked over, swiped the screwdriver from his hand, and trudged back to your chair. You sat back down, breathed deeply to calm yourself and proceeded to use the screwdriver. A few minutes later there you were shouting all over again. "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WIRE?! I HAD IT IN MY HAND A MINUTE OR TWO AGO!" you yelled, chucking things left and right.

"I believe it was 3 minutes and 46 seconds ago actually," L said calmly, a meter or so from you.

You looked at him in disbelief. "You timed how long I'd lost my wire? But, then that means…YOU TOOK MY BLOODY WIRE AS WELL!?"

"Hai, Ahiru-chan. I wanted to test your observation skills."

Your eyebrow twitched and you were seriously considering connecting your foot with his face. "Ryuuzaki…give me back my wire," you said, deathly calm.

"Why? Do you need it?" he asked.

"Are you an idiot or something?! Haven't you heard me screaming for the last couple minutes trying to find it?!" you asked, clenching your fist.

"This wire? What do you need this wire for?" he asked, staring at it, as if it would tell him its secrets.

"Alright, that's it!" you said, and rushed at L, your fist drawn back.

Unfortunately for the both of you, you tripped on one of the many cables running across the floor and fell straight onto a surprised L. Your weight misbalanced the chair and the both of you went tumbling across the floor. You ended up under L, his head on your chest. Your face flushed deep crimson and you shouted "PERVERT" at him, before he shushed you. You closed your mouth, confused by the odd request. "Nani (What)?" you asked, still embarrassed by his closeness.

"I can hear your heart beat," he said succinctly, his eyes wide in amazement.

"So…? Everyone has one," you said, wondering what was going on in that genius mind of his.

"I've never listened to someone's heart beat," he explained, before closing his eyes.

Momentarily stunned, your mouth gaped like a fish. _'Never listened to someone's heartbeat? Or is he using it as an excuse…'_

Unsure of the answer, you decided it was safer just to throw him off. You sat up, and L looked up at you in surprise. "Whether or not you've never heard a heartbeat before, that's no excuse!" you said, reining back your anger.

L moved into his normal sitting position and looked at you, obviously figuring out what you were thinking. You sighed in frustration and stood up. "Just don't touch any more of my stuff," you said, a touch of menace entering your voice.

L nodded somberly and watched as you moved over to your chair and sat down in a huff. _'Why is her face red? Is she…blushing?' _he thought to himself, biting on his thumb.

"Stop that," you said, attaching the wire to your prototype.

He looked up at your back. "Stop what?"

"Analysing everything, just give it a break already," you said, before completely absorbing yourself in your work.

Behind your back, L stared at you, biting his thumb in his attempt to figure you out.

He stayed like that for another ten minutes or so before moving back to his chair and continuing his investigation. His hand searched for his packet of sweets that he had set on the desk beside his computer, and unable to locate them, looked around the desk. "Looking for something?" you asked, innocently.

"Un. My sweets have gone…Ahiru-chan…you didn't. That's so low…" L said, looking at you accusingly.

"Didn't what?" you asked, continuing the pretence.

"You took my sweets because I took your wire, didn't you," he said, phrasing it as a statement rather than a question.

"Maybe…maybe not," you teased, enjoying yourself.

He sighed, whether in frustration or annoyance you couldn't tell. "What do you want for them back?" he asked, trying to think of a way to negotiate his way out of this.

You pushed your bottom lip with your index finger, as you pretended to think. "What about what you really think about Light-kun?"

L's eyes bored into you. _'What is she thinking?'_

You smiled innocently back at him, and waited for his reply. "Fine…but sweets first," he said, giving in.

Grinning, you handed him the bag of sweets you had swiped from his table. He snatched them from your grasp and began to eat them, huddling protectively around them. You sweatdropped. _'For a supposed genius…he's pretty immature…'_

"Light-kun…I'm 7 certain that he is Kira," L said, his words jolting you out of your thoughts.

'7 certain that Light-kun is Kira? I know I got a bad feeling from him, but could he really be Kira?'

"All the research I've done points to one person…Light-kun. There isn't any other people who fit Kira so perfectly," L said, looking at you to gauge your reaction.

You kept your face blank, aware that L was searching for a response. "Other than Light-kun I don't have any leads of Kira's identity."

'He suspects Light-kun **that **much?' you thought, genuinely surprised.

You decided to reserve your opinion until you had a chance to get to know Light better, and turned back to your computer to continue your work. The two of you stayed working on your separate jobs for the rest of the night, you using caffeine to keep yourself awake, L using sugar from his many cakes and sweets scattered around his computer.

"Good morning Ahiru-chan!" chimed Matsuda's voice, from the doorway.

You glanced up from your work and nodded a greeting before ignoring the energetic policeman. Matsuda visibly deflated by your lack of reply, and trudged into the room muttering to himself. Mogi and Aizawa came next, calling greetings to the both of you, Chief Yagami and then finally Light. As Light entered the room, you looked up. He caught your eye and raised an eyebrow at you. You turned back to your work as he walked past you and seated himself on one of the couches. 'Yagami Light…you may seem innocent…but there's something dark about you…I can sense it. And whatever it is you're hiding…I **will** find out the truth!'

After the meeting had finished, and every one was leaving, you stood up to find yourself face to face with a flustered Matsuda. "Nani?" you asked, impatiently.

"Umm…would Ahiru-chan like to get coffee with me?" he said, a blush spreading across his face.

Taken aback, you took a second to reply. "Not today, Matsuda-san, maybe another day?"

His smile faltered a little but he nodded acceptance of your reply. "Another day then, Ahiru-chan."

You smiled at him, and walked past, searching for Light. "Light-kun!" you called out, as you caught sight of his receding form down the hallway.

He stopped and turned around to face you. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out for some coffee," you said, smiling your winning smile at him.

'What's she planning? Is this a test? A normal man would jump at the chance to date her…so if I say no will she began to suspect something? The safest thing to do would be to accept and talk as little as possible," Light reasoned.

Coming to a conclusion, Light looked up at you, smiled and nodded his head. Your eyes narrowed a fraction.

'Is he accepting because a regular male would…or has he accepted because he knows that it is necessary for him to act like an innocent civilian around me?'

You smiled at him, and walked up to him. He offered you his arm and you accepted it gratefully. "So where to?" you asked, allowing him to take charge.

"I know a place only five minutes walk away from here, and the coffee is good," Light said, looking down at you for your response.

You nodded your head enthusiastically. "Sounds great, Light-kun!"

_Unbeknownst to you, L had planted a bug under the collar of the shirt you were wearing and was listening to every word that was said between you. _'Why is she going with Light-kun after I told her my suspicions last night? Unless…she's really trying to find evidence to prove that Light-kun is Kira…but that means she's risking her life when she doesn't need to be. I can only hope that she's smart enough to not risk Light suspecting that she thinks he's Kira…or else…I'll be responsible for what happens to her…'


	4. Chapter 4

You had nearly reached the coffee shop that Light had recommended

You had nearly reached the coffee shop that Light had recommended. So far, you had noticed nothing strange about your conversation, but something about him continued to bug you. "Light-kun, you're so smart!" you giggled, clutching onto his arm, "You must nearly be as smart as Ryu-kun!"

His arm tensed just for a second, and you allowed yourself a small hidden smirk. 'So he doesn't like the thought of L being his superior in intelligence? A normal response by any account…but still…'

"Oh no, I don't think I'll ever be as capable as Ryuuzaki," he laughed.

"Capable?" you asked, wondering why he would use such a strange word.

"Un."

You walked in silence the rest of the way to the coffee shop, where you found a booth and sat down on opposite sides of the small, rectangular table. "Why did you ask, Ahiru-chan?" Light suddenly asked, taking you by surprise.

You blinked blankly at him for a second, before putting down the menu and replying. "You seem like a really sweet guy so I wanted to get to know you better. Plus, I think you're cute!" you said, smiling.

'Hmm…that should lessen his suspicions a little. He'll just think I'm another shallow appearance-obsessed fangirl.'

Light laughed a little at your response before picking up and perusing his own menu. A waitress came over and asked for your order. "Green tea," Light said and looked expectantly over at you.

"Oh…uhh…. coffee thanks, black with 2 sugars," you said, smiling up at the waitress and handing her your menu.

You rested you chin on your joined hands and looked over at Light. "So Light-kun, what made you want to join the investigation?" you asked, making it sound as though you were only making small talk whilst your beverages were being prepared.

"Kira needs to be brought to justice. What he's doing is unforgivable…it's murder. He needs to be condemned for his crimes!" Light said, his voice gradually rising in volume.

"Settle down, Light-kun," you said, sweatdropping.

'Is this an act? If it's not, he could have been a professional actor…' you thought.

"Gomennasi, Ahiru-chan," he apologised, "Sometimes I get a little carried away."

"No problem, Light-kun, we all do," you said, giggling.

You grabbed his hand, and you looked him in the eyes. He looked down at his hand in yours and then looked up at you. "What is it?" he asked.

"I can tell, you're not Kira. Ryu-kun is definitely wrong about that!" you said, making sure to maintain your giggling air-headed demeanor.

Your index finger was lightly placed on the inside of his wrist, not an unnatural hold. Through your finger you felt his pulse quicken slightly. 'Heh…surprised that I would be suspicious of you? Just through that, you've increased my suspicions tenfold!'

"Well that's good to hear, Ahiru-chan!" he said, sounding light-hearted.

You could sense that something was amiss by the look in his eyes, and decided from then on to change the topic whenever it came remotely close to Kira and the police investigation. 'If he really is Kira, and if he finds out my real name…I've signed my own death warrant…' you thought, soberly to yourself.

'KUSO! Why did she have to say **that **of all things! If Light-kun is Kira, he's going to get rid of her as soon as possible! Did I overestimate her? She's talking like an air-head…wait, no…that's definitely an act…but then…what did she gain from putting herself in danger like that?' thought L, biting his thumb, alone in his high-backed leather chair.

"Arigatou for the coffee, Light-kun!" you said, as you parted at the entrance to L's hotel. The sun was beginning to set, making it seem as though the sky was aflame.

"Anytime, Ahiru-chan, let's do this again," he said, before waving at you and heading home.

Smiling at his receding form, you turned around and nearly screamed. L was standing directly behind you, and as you turned, your faces were within inches of each other. You composed yourself at the last second, "What is it, Ryu-kun?"

"You know you've put yourself in a dangerous position, Ahiru-chan," he said, the barest trace of emotion in his voice.

You lowered your eyes and your bangs covered your face. "You bugged my clothes…"

"It was an emergency," he dismissed, "But if Light-kun is Kira, you're in danger."

"You think I don't know that? What do you take me for?" you snapped at him.

He gaped at you in shock, his sleep-deprived eyes wide. "I did it because I want to help the investigation, Kira needs to be caught! If I end up losing my life because of it, I know that it was to save the lives of many others…it's not like anyone will miss me. And besides, Light-kun probably isn't Kira, you said yourself there's only a 7 chance, so stop worrying about me!" you said, trying to convince yourself as well as L.

Leaving him to stare off in the distance, lost in thought, you walked past him, and entered the building to continue your work. No matter how much you tried to shake off a foreboding feeling, it stayed with you like a storm cloud hovering overhead. 'But if Light-kun is Kira…I'll be his next target…'

"Ahiru-chan, I apologise for earlier. I thought that you weren't understanding the situation, when you are obviously well aware of the consequences of your words if Light-kun is Kira," L said, leaning over your shoulder as you continued to construct your computer program.

"It's all right, L, I know you were just worried about me!" you said, grinning.

Acting spontaneously, you raised your arms over your head and pulled L closer to you so that his cheek was touching yours, in a clumsy hug. You felt his cheekbones raise, and you realised that he was smiling. 'YATTA! I MADE HIM SMILE!' you thought, grinning widely. Completely taking you by surprise, L's thin arms wrapped around your neck and he returned the hug. A sugary sweet smell reached your nose and you realised that you liked his smell. He pulled you tighter before letting go and moving back to his regular position in front of his computer. You looked around in surprise, suddenly feeling lonely without his embrace. You shook your head to clear such thoughts. 'Stop acting like an idiot! Get a hold of yourself! He's your boss, for God's sake!' you thought, and then punched at your head in an effort to stop unwanted thoughts.

You stopped when you realised that he was staring strangely at you. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, his hands placed on top of his knees.

"Uh…" you stalled, your brain racing to find an excuse, "Just feeling a little cooped up."

"You don't have to stay here all the time. You're not a prisoner," he said, staring at you with his opaque orbs.

"I know, but…" you said, looking at him apologetically, "It's no fun going out by yourself."

He looked down at his knees and bit his thumb. "Well then…would you like me to accompany you?"

"Would you?" you asked, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.

He nodded, slowly. 'Am I going to regret this later?' L thought, watching as you jumped up and down, cheering.

You were walking down a deserted urban street, the only light shining from the streetlights set at regular intervals. The silence hung between you, however it was a companionable silence. You were wearing a tight black tank top, an open white button-up shirt, short gray shorts, and long black socks, which continued down into black sneakers. L was wearing his usual garb, his messy hair sticking up as though he'd just gotten out of bed, which was completely illogical because you didn't think L even had a bed. "Arigatou, Ryu-kun. But you didn't have to come with me if you didn't want to," you said, a hidden meaning in your words.

L's eyes slid over to you, as he thought about your words. "Wouldn't be safe walking by yourself."

'Nice answer, Ryu-kun…didn't give away anything at all…' you thought, wondering what other tricks you could use.

"Do you want to know where I'm taking you?" you asked.

"Let it be a surprise," he replied, casually.

"Oh…" you said, foiled again.

'Curse him and his superior intelligence! He's not letting anything slip!' you thought, frustrated.

"Something the matter?" L asked.

"Iie (No)…betsuni (nothing)…" you replied, trying to act natural.

You emitted a high-pitched laugh, trying to mask your nervousness. L looked over to you and raised an eyebrow. Embarrassed, you looked away and remained silent for the rest of the walk.

"We're here!" you said, waiting for L's reaction.

Like you anticipated, he was surprised but quickly masked it. "A 24 hour arcade?" he asked. 'Is this a joke? Why has she brought me here?' he thought.

You nodded, vigorously, a wide grin spreading across your face. 'Heh, that sure took him by surprise!'

You grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside into the brightly lit arcade. "What do you want to play?" you asked him, your grip still on his wrist in case he tried to escape.

"Uh-"

"Let's play this shooting one!" you said, and dragged him over to the blinking screen.

You shoved a plastic gun in a bewildered L's hand and selected the expert mode. 'Expert mode? But I don't even know how to play,' L thought to himself, feeling a small amount of anxiety.

"Get ready…GO!" you shouted, and began expertly shooting the targets showing on the screen.

Wondering when the instructions on how to play would come onto the screen, L was taken by surprise and didn't even manage to hit one target in the 20 seconds. When the level finished, you looked and saw L's result and laughed out loud. L glared at you, obviously annoyed. You smiled back, reveling in the fact that you were finally better at something than him. "What's wrong? Never played before?" you asked innocently, knowing full well that he hadn't.

He shook his head, grumpily. "Oh…Gomen…would you like to play something a little easier?" you asked, laughing in your head at your cunning.

"No…" he replied, and turned back to the game.

'Ku-ku-ku I knew that he would refuse! It's exactly as I thought! He's so childish that he doesn't want to lose!' (Your mental expression was somewhat like this :3 lol).

You quickly went over the basic rules for the game, and pressed the start button. You saw L's eyes narrow in concentration, and saw that he'd unconsciously poked his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. 'Kawaii!' you thought, accidentally giving L a head start as the game started.

"63 targets to 17…that's not bad for a beginner!" you said, trying to cheer up a sulking L.

"I guess…" he said, not looking convinced.

"That's the spirit," you said, clapping him on the back, which made him stumble forward a few steps.

'Is he that weak?' you thought to yourself, disbelieving.

"Well, how about we try something else? Get you warmed up. We can always come back to this one later," you said, already dragging him to another machine.

L could only try and keep up as you aced all the games at the arcade. He watched bleakly as you bested all the high scores on each game you tried. "Take that! And that!" you shouted, furiously pushing buttons on a fighting game.

'Is she really the one who bested my third detective persona? Well I guess…actions aren't something to judge someone by…' L thought, his mouth twisting up at the irony, 'I should introduce her to Matt, they'd get along great.'

"Aren't you-" you began, before hearing music playing near the center of the massive arcade.

'What is that? It sounds like….'

"DANCE STAGE!" you shouted, happily, towing L along like he weighed nothing.

(Hehe, I can just imagine that XDD).

"Player One wins!" came the chirpy voice of the dance stage machine narrator.

A tall, brunette woman wearing a skintight black tracksuit turned to the crowd that had gathered around the game. "Is there anyone else who has the guts to try and beat me?" she asked, smugly.

"Ohhh…that sounds like fun!" you whispered to L.

He raised an eyebrow half-heartedly at you, and shrugged. "I'll challenge you!" you shouted, over the mutterings of the crowd.

The crowd parted to let you through, you could hear them murmuring about you as you passed. As you reached the stage, the brunette woman looked you up and down, and smirked as if to say "You think you can beat **me? **You must be joking!"

You smiled sweetly up at her and stood resolute on the platform. "Ok, if you insist," the woman said, and selected the hardest expert track.

However, the woman was unaware that ever since you were 11, you had been sneaking out to arcades and dance stage was your undisputed favourite. You grinned to yourself, 'I wonder how she'll react when I start to beat her?'

The music started, and without missing a beat, you began to dance.

Near the end of the song, the brunette woman realised that she was losing and decided to do whatever necessary to save face and win. When she kicked her leg back in the air, it hit you across the face. Blood cascaded down your face from where her foot had connected with your nose. 'That should stop her! She'll just go home and cry to her Mummy now,' thought the brunette.

You gritted your teeth and kept on dancing, now even more determined to keep your cool and beat that smirking cheater into the ground. You finally finished the song and waited for the results to appear on the screen. "Player Two wins!" came the chirpy machine voice again, and a loud cheer erupted from the massive crowd that had gathered around to watch your dance-off. The brunette woman scowled and swore at you before leaving the stage. Smiling, despite the pain it caused in your injured nose, you pulled L onto the stage. He shook his head at you, aware of what you were trying to do. "C'mon! Who wants to see him dance?" you called out to the eager crowd.

Screams rent the air as the crowd urged L to dance. Sighing, L shrugged and stood in the center of the platform. You grinned at him, and asked if he needed to know how to play. He shook his head and proceeded to choose a song. The music started and L began to dance. Your mouth dropped open at how good he was. 'No way! He must be at least as good as me!' you thought, mouth still agape.

L finished his track and turned to look at you, a smug look in his eyes. He walked off the platform and waited until you followed. "That was so **awesome!** How did you do that?" you asked, your eyes alight.

"Don't think you're the only one who practiced a lot when they were younger…" he said, allowing you a small smile, "Here, allow me."

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped the blood from your face. You blinked in surprise at his soft touch. He quickly replaced his handkerchief and his previously happy mood was quickly replaced with his usual sullen disposition. "Are you tired?" he asked, hinting at you that he wanted to leave.

You nodded your head, thinking about all the work you had to cram into a few months and the both of you left the arcade.


	5. Chapter 5

You sat with your head in your hands, deathly tired, but not wanting to stop now that you'd just reached a critical part of yo

You sat with your head in your hands, deathly tired, but not wanting to stop now that you'd just reached a critical part of your programming. You glanced under your right arm to see L typing away on his computer, a lollipop in his mouth. 'How does he do that? Stay awake for so long without collapsing from exhaustion?' you wondered, secretly jealous. "You look tired, you should sleep," L commented, eyes not leaving his computer.

"No, it's alright, I just need some more caffeine," you said, "Do you have a kitchen?"

He looked over at you and nodded. "I'll have Watari show you the way," he said and pressed a button before talking into a speaker.

A door slid open and the kind elderly man entered the room, "This way, Miss Ahiru."

He turned and walked out of the doorway and it took you a second to react before you followed him. He took you down so many twists and turns, you soon felt dizzy. 'Gee…I hope I don't lose him or I'll die of starvation…' you thought, your mouth twisting up in irony. He opened a closed wooden door and you walked inside, looking around in wonder. Not only was this kitchen massive, it was home to mounds of cakes, sweets and sugar cubes. 'He must eat nothing but sweets! I'm surprised that he hasn't died from sugar overdose!' you thought.

"So…where can I find coffee?" you asked Watari.

"Hmmm…there's some around here somewhere…ah…and here's the milk…and I think you'll find how ever much sugar you need…" Watari said, sweatdropping.

You quickly boiled some water, made your coffee, and followed Watari back up the winding staircases to the room used as the investigation headquarters. "Arigatou," you said, bowing to Watari.

He smiled and nodded at you before leaving to go back to his normal post. You turned and sighed as you saw that L was still sitting in the same place. "Did you get what you wanted, Ahiru-chan?" he asked, softly.

"Yeah, thanks," you replied, daintily sitting yourself down in your swivel chair, steaming mug of coffee held lightly between your fingertips.

You blew on it to cool it down enough to drink. You lifted it to your lips and took a small sip. The burning liquid scalded your mouth and you stuck your tongue out to cool it (…if u can imagine that). L looked over at you, obviously curious as to what you were doing. "I burnt my tongue…" you managed to say.

He looked away and you saw the corner of his mouth lift. 'Heh…I'm getting better at this. Well, he needs to smile more anyways…' you thought, staring over at him.

He looked back at you, catching you staring. "Something wrong?" he asked, blankly.

A light blush crossed your cheeks and you murmured, "Betsuni."

**THUNK!**

'What was that?' L thought, and he looked around for the source of the noise.

He saw that your head was lying against the table and realised the noise had been you collapsing when you passed out from exhaustion. He stared at your motionless body, biting his thumb. 'Do I leave her? No…I guess I'll have to take her to the guest room Watari prepared for her…' L concluded.

He got up and walked over to you, wondering how to get you there. Deciding on a course of action, he slipped one arm under your legs and used the other to support your back. He picked you up and carried you all the way to your room. On the way, you started stirring in his arms and clutching at his shirt. "Mum! Iie! I don't want to leave you!" you murmured into his chest.

'I wonder what she's dreaming about,' L thought, dismissing it as a nightmare.

You awoke to a hand roughly shaking your shoulder. "Ren! Get up! We have to go, there's a fire!" shouted your father, his eyes wide in panic.

Half-sleep, you rubbed your eyes as you sat up in your comfy bed. You saw your father wearing his usual pinstriped pyjamas with a hastily pulled on blue dressing gown over the top. "Otosan? What's wrong?" you asked, dreamily.

"The house is on fire, Ren-chan…it'll reach us soon if we don't get out now."

"Where's Okasan?"

"Your mother's waiting outside in the hall for us," he said, his normally kind brown eyes taken over by panic.

You nodded, crawled out of bed and pulled a pink dressing gown over your pony-patterned pyjamas before following your dad out of the room. "Okasan!" you said, as your mother came into view.

She smiled at you, trying to mask her worry. "Everything's going to be alright, Ren-chan," she said, giving you a small hug before you set off at a run to the front entrance.

You could smell the smoke, it was getting thicker and you saw the entire house around you was aflame. Realising that you couldn't keep up with the pace, your father pulled you up on his back, not missing a step. "Arigatou, Otosan," you said, your small arms wrapped around his neck.

**CRACK! AAAAAHHH!**

"HITOMI!" you father cried out, turning around to see your mother pinned under a burning heavy beam from the ceiling.

He sprinted back and tried to pry your mother from under the flaming wood, but to no avail. You stood there, feeling utterly useless. "Just leave me, Tomokazu…it's useless…" said your mother, gritting her teeth with the pain.

Your father shook his head, "Either we come out together or we don't come out at all," your father said, determination showing in his eyes.

"Ren-chan, you have to go…" your mother said, her voice pained.

"Mum! Iie! I don't want to leave you!" you cried out, hugging her around the neck.

"Don't worry, Ren-chan. We'll be out as soon as I get your mother free," your father smiled, reassuringly.

"Ren-chan, don't ever forget us…remember that we love you and always will," you mother said, stroking your cheek with her thumb.

You nodded and hugged them both before running to the front entrance and standing outside, waiting for them to appear. From where you were standing, you could see that the entire house was aflame and was collapsing into itself. The entire second story fell in, demolishing all the walls and hitting the first storey like an explosion. The smoke billowed out of every opening as the flames finished eating the massive pile of rubble you had called home the entire 8 years of your life. You heard sirens wailing and vaguely noted that there were men in coats hosing the house in an attempt to put out the raging fire. You felt a blanket cover your shaking shoulders and you looked up to see a kind face staring down at you. "Were your parents still in there, little girl?" he asked, his moustache moving as he spoke.

Drops of water hit your face and rolled down, gradually getting heavier until the rain was pouring down heavily. You nodded your head and began to cry, your salty tears mingling with the rain. "They didn't come…they didn't come!" you cried out, and began to sob as the fire was finally put out and the only thing left of the place you knew of as home was a smoldering ruin.

You woke up, yawning. Your eyes still closed to try and remember your dream even as it hovered out of your reach like a butterfly. Realising your hand was holding something, you opened your eyes. They widened in shock. Your hand was tightly gripped around someone's wrist. Your eyes followed the arm up to the side of the bed, where you saw messy black hair and closed black-rimmed eyes. You dropped the arm and shrieked, the shrill tones piercing the early morning. The dark eyes opened and stared at you, a questioning look in them. "Ryu-kun?" you whispered, wondering if you were still having a nightmare.

"Un?" he answered, rolling a little more forward on the balls of his feet so you could see his entire face above the level of your bed.

You sighed in relief, before your eyes narrowed. "What were you doing next to my bed?" you snapped, wondering if he was some kind of pervert (poor l…. always seen as a pervert…XDDD).

"When you fell asleep…you grew rather attached to my arm and I didn't want to wake you," he said, voice not giving anything away.

You blushed lightly, "You could've woken me up."

L shook his head and said, "You needed the sleep and I've been investigating while you slept."

Curious, you looked over the corner of the bed to see a laptop on the floor, screen covered in many different bright windows. "Found anything useful?" you queried, trying to draw L's attention away from your burning face.

He shook his head. "Iie. I haven't found any more leads… are you hungry?"

"Un," you said, nodding your head.

He looked down at the floor, unwilling to meet your eyes. "Do you…want to go for breakfast?"

You gaped for a second, wondering if you'd heard right. "Breakfast?" you echoed, stupidly.

He nodded his head and you beamed at him. "Yahari (of course)!" you agreed.

Feeling more refreshed than you had in the last couple of weeks, you were practically skipping down the street next to L. "How can you be so energetic?" he murmured, walking slouched with his hands in his pockets.

"How can you not be?" you shot back, swirling in your knee-length gray dress.

He sweatdropped at you. "Maybe I shouldn't have let you sleep…" he sighed, watching as you spun around the light post.

"And miss all the fun?" you called, poking your tongue out at him.

"We're here," he said, looking up at the sign of a store.

"The Hotcake House?" you asked, finally standing still.

You walked inside and sat in an empty compartment. You picked up the menu and perused it. "Does it sell anything **but **hotcakes?" you said, sweatdropping.

"The **Hotcake **House?" L said, eyes on his own menu.

'Kuso…I'm such an idiot this morning,' you thought to yourself, annoyed at yourself.

Deep in your thoughts, you completely missed what he'd said. "Pardon?" you asked, blankly.

He sighed in annoyance. "I wanted to know if you had decided on what to order…since the lady is waiting to take it…" L said, gesturing at the waitress tapping her foot next to your table.

"Oh…I'll just have some water or something," you said, not really feeling hungry anymore.

"I've never seen you eat," L said, accusingly.

"I've never seen you eat healthy!" you retorted, "Alright, fine. I'll just have 2 sesame seed hotcakes then."


	6. Chapter 6

"So why did you want to go out for breakfast

"So why did you want to go out for breakfast?" you asked, nibbling on a hotcake, your fingers spread out either side to bear the heat.

"I might die tomorrow," L said, eating his own hotcake.

Your hotcake paused halfway to your mouth as you stared at him disbelievingly. You laughed loudly, making him look at you questioningly. "Why are you laughing?"

"That's a good one, Ryu-kun, so what's the real reason?" you giggled.

He continued staring at you, as if attempting to deduce whether you were being serious. "That is the real reason. If the second Kira demands that I appear on air tomorrow, there is a high probability that I will be killed," he said, going back to his hotcake.

You sat there in shock, completely jolted from your previously cheerful mood. You let everything sink in, including the new second Kira theory. "What have you done to prevent this situation?" you asked, leaning across the table.

"This is not the place to talk of such things. Let's go," L said, moving to leave the store.

"Wait! Go where?" you asked, grabbing onto his arm.

"The hotel," L replied.

"But…if it's your last day, don't you want to do something you know…special?" you asked, genuinely surprised by his lack of enthusiasm.

"Should I?" he asked, his eyebrows high in surprise.

You nodded your head. 'Isn't he bothered by the fact the he might not be breathing after tomorrow?'

"But the investigation…" he said, obviously impatient to get back.

"Not today," you said, resolutely, "Today, you're coming with me."

You stepped off the bus and looked around, breathing in the crisp, cold air. "Here take this, you'll need it," you said, throwing a black jacket and boots at L.

He stared at the boots, unhappy about having to wear them. "It's either them or frostbite, your choice!" you said chirpily, happy about coming to the festival again.

Muttering, he pulled them on and joined you to gape at the massive temple in front of you. "It's so…majestic…. and…big!" you said, for lack of a better word.

"Takahata Fudoson Temple? Am I right?" L asked, going through the files in his brilliant memory.

"Yep. The Dharma doll fair," you said, also going through your own memory files, "I haven't been since I was really little and my parents…"

"Something wrong?" L asked, catching a hold of your sudden silence.

"Iie. Just a memory catching up with me," you dismissed, shaking off your sadness.

You walked under the beautiful painted arch and gasped at the sight before you. There were rows upon rows of daruma doll vendors. "There's so many…" L said, shock apparent in his voice.

"Well if you buy one, it's supposed to bring you good luck for the year," you said, recalling the old legend.

"Is that so…" L said, peering at the stalls full of bright red dolls.

You were running around like a kid in a candy store. "This one! No, this one!"

L watched you, his expression unreadable under his black bangs. The only hint of emotion was the upturned corner of his mouth. "Why aren't you excited?" you asked, silently appearing beside him like a wraith.

He looked over to his left, taken by surprise. "I've never visited a festival before," he said, glancing over at a smiling father as he handed his kimono-garbed daughter a small daruma doll.

"Arigatou, oto-san," L heard the tiny girl say, before she wrapped her arms around her father's waist and hugged him.

L looked back over to you to see you staring at the laughing family, their faces glowing as they reveled in their joy. 'I remember the day my father gave me a doll like the one that girl is holding…I just thought it was the best thing in the world…wearing my first kimono and then father's doll…'

"Ahiru-chan."

"I-uh…pardon?" you said, completely lost in your own thoughts.

"Are you feeling alright? Your eyes were all glazed for a while there," L said, looking at your eyes as though he could tell what was wrong with a glance.

"Oh, yeah, fine. Gomen, I just went to my own world there," you said, and went back to watching the family enviously.

L sighed, and grasped your hand. You looked back at him in surprise, and then down at your hand, which now had something resting in it. It was a daruma doll. The painted face stared unblinkingly up at you, its wide grin frozen on its face. You ran your fingers lightly over it, feeling the cool wood under your fingertips. Your eyes moved up to the face of the person who had given it to you and you flung your arms around him in a massive bear hug. "ARIGATOU, RYU-KUN!" you shouted, oblivious to the stares you were earning from the surrounding crowd.

"It was no problem," he said, smiling a small smile at you.

You suddenly leant in and lightly pressed your soft lips against his cheek, "It means a lot to me."

You quickly turned and walked away, not wanting L to see your crimson face. Behind you, L was rubbing his cheek in wonder. He took his fingers away from his face and stared at them, before rubbing them together. A faint blush spread across his cheeks and L looked up at your figure and saw your own matching blush.

'Why did she…'

You had been wandering around the temple with L for hours now and were happy to finally be able to rest your feet and watch the fireworks, which would start in just over 10 minutes. You sat down on the fresh green glass, trying not to spill your tea. You looked over to see L seating himself next to you. You smiled at him, trying to cover the pain you were suffering. A family was having lunch on a table a few meters away from you; they were all smiling and laughing, completely comfortable with each other's company. You looked down into your tea, a burden weighing heavily on your heart. "You miss your parents?" came a soft voice, and you looked over at L in surprise.

Deciding that you might as well confide in him a few details about your past, you nodded. "My parents brought me here when I was around 7…I was so excited. It was the first festival I'd ever been to," you said, staring into your tea, the memories playing through your mind.

"Well you lived quite close so why-" L broke off, realising that he wasn't supposed to know that information.

You rounded on him, your eyes livid. "How do you know?!" you shouted at him, getting louder at each word.

He looked into your furious eyes and decided it was best to tell you the truth and get it out in the open. "You were mumbling in your sleep and some of it caught my attention so I investigated and found this," he said, and then held out an A4 piece of paper.

You snatched it, the rage still burning within you. It was a newspaper article with the headline "Aoyami Mansion Destroyed in Fire." There was a large picture of the remains of your beloved house in the center, next to a picture of you and your parents in a family portrait. You stared down at your parents smiling faces, completely oblivious to the fate that laid before them. "Why…" you whispered, before looking up at L and screaming, "Why couldn't you just let it lie?! Why do you need to know everything?!"

You flung the paper and him and sprinted off into the surrounding bushes.

You were hugging your knees, bawling your eyes out as if you were a little girl. The fireworks had started a few minutes ago, but you didn't care. Your hair had spilled over your shoulders and cascaded around you as your tears rolled down your face. "Ice cream?" a voice asked behind you.

Already knowing whom it belonged to, you didn't reply. Silently, he sat down beside you, his head tilted upwards to see the fireworks. "You're going to miss them," L said, licking his ice cream.

"I don't care," you replied, sulkily, as your tears stopped.

The two of you sat in silence for a while, L licking his ice cream as he watched the fireworks, you trying to fight the urge to cry again as the memories threw themselves at your vulnerable mind. "Still got that ice cream?" you sniffled, in a childish voice.

A corner of his mouth tugged upwards as he moved his arm and offered you the ice cream in his other hand. You gratefully took it, licked it a few times, and turned to look up at the fireworks. They were magnificent – red, blue, gold, the colours exploded across the dark sky. You looked across at L, and watched as the fireworks lit his eyes. All anger and frustration you had against him dissipated in that second, and his eyes swiveled down to meet yours in a questioning gaze. You scooted closer to L and daringly laid your head on his shoulder. He shifted slightly to bear your weight but otherwise made no movements. You blushed that he had allowed you to be this close to him, and breathed in his sugary scent as you watched the fireworks together in the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Your UVERworld ring tone pierced through your sleep

Your UVERworld ring tone pierced through your sleep. Grumpily, you stretched your arm over to pick up your mobile (or cell? I can't remember what Americans call it…). Hai?" you asked, your voice still hoarse from misuse.

"We require your services, Ahiru," came a gruff voice on the other end of the line.

You sat bolt upright in your bed, pushing the cover to the floor. "How did you get this number?" you asked, suspiciously.

"We have our contacts," he said, guarded.

"We? Who exactly is requiring my services?"

"I am not at liberty to say at this present moment. If we could steal just 10 minutes of your time, we will make you an offer you can't refuse."

'Ha! An offer I can't refuse, eh?' you thought, sitting with your head resting on your hands.

You had crept out of L's hotel and were waiting in the darkest corner of a coffee shop, wearing a black jacket with a high collar, a wide brimmed black hat and large dark sunglasses, which successfully concealed your face. Two men in suits entered the shop, saw you and warily walked over. The man on the left was tall and confident in the way he walked, you automatically pinned him as the leader of the two. The other man was fidgety and slouched as he walked, he seemed submissive to the other man. You wondered as to the relationship between the two. They sat opposite you and the taller man slid a file over to you. Cautiously, you flipped open the manila cover and perused the information. "A kidnapping," you said, your voice concealed by the voice morph installed in the high collar of your jacket.

Your gloved hand picked up a photo of the abducted person. "A student?" you asked, your surprise expertly masked by the morph.

The leader nodded grimly. "He was kidnapped for a ransom from his parents, our employers. They sent us a video with the message that we were to put 100 million in the account written on the file by midnight tonight. In return, Kisho would be released in a random location in the city. They also said that if we tried to contact the police, then he would start losing his fingers."

The leader stopped, stared down at his hands before looking up and continuing the story. You sat in silence, digesting the information as you waited for him to conclude. "Since we were the ones who were guarding him at the time that he was kidnapped, it falls to us to seek out the best to bring him safely back home. However, his parents have said that they will pay up to 50 million for the help of one of the greatest detectives in the world," the leader said and sat back, waiting for your reply.

Your eyes widened at the amount offered, and your mouth gaped as you tried to register how many zeros went into that number. You picked up the photo again and ingrained his appearance into your mind. Glancing at his file, you saw his name and age. 'Kisho Yamamoto aged 15 years.' He had short brown hair, looked of a light build and his light gray eyes radiated with kindness. You immediately felt sympathetic for him and his unfortunate predicament. You sighed inwardly; knowing that there was no way that you would turn them down now. "There's a small matter of the money…" you started.

"It's not enough?" the fidgety man said, it was the first time you had heard him speak.

You shook your head slowly, amused. "Well, maybe we could increase it-" started the leader, frowning some paper in his hands.

"No," you said, cutting him off, "1 million will be sufficient."

"One?" the leader said, disbelief written all over his expression.

"Yes, no more is needed."

The leader quickly regained his composure and stood up to shake your hand. "Please return him to us safely, Ahiru."

You nodded in acknowledgement, and the leader strode out of the shop, with the fidget in tow. You quickly gathered the folder together, and exited the coffee store, heading back to L's hotel. Like a wraith, you slipped in through the entrance and up to your room. Efficiently, connected the surveillance cameras to your laptop and ended the loop you had programmed over L's brilliant firewalls. You chuckled to yourself, making sure that nothing had seemed out of place, and quietly made your way to the main headquarters. You opened the door and were greeted by Matsuda, Mochi and Aizawa. Yagami Sochirou merely nodded to you, as did his son, Light. You looked over to L to realise that he hadn't even acknowledged your presence in the room. Walking over to your chair, you sat down and glared at the insomniac's back. As though sensing your look he turned and saw you. "Omaesan (hey)," he greeted, blankly.

You ignored him and started work on your private investigation, making sure that your screen was protected from both being seen by the police members and being hacked through L's computer. 'If I was receiving a ransom I wouldn't create only one account. I'd have one for the money to come into…and I'd have one to put the money in after I'd received it, and then hide all traces of the first account ever existing.' You easily hacked into Japanese Offshore, and searched for the details of anyone who had opened an account in the past few weeks. In the background you heard the discussions of the Kira investigators, however, you zoned them out as you searched the banks records, sucking on one of the lollipops you stole from L. A name caught your eye and you clicked on the record. As you read, everything fell into place. 'Gotcha!' you thought, grinning.

Your preparations complete, you hid in the women's bathroom and quickly made some phone calls. "Yes?" the tall man from the morning answered.

"It's Ahiru. Tell Mr. and Mrs. Yamamoto to put the money in the account specified."

There was a gasp on the end of the line and a quickly stammered, "But we hired you to stop that!"

"Trust me. Tell them that they will get their money back, but to secure the life of their son…they need to deposit the money," you said.

There was the sound of raised voices in the background, then an unfamiliar voice talked. "Ahiru…we trust your judgement. Just get him back to us. We'll deposit the money," said the male voice, you made an assumption that it was the abducted boy's father.

"Arigatou," you said, and ended the call.

You crept back into police headquarters to see them all standing around a laptop with the words 'Kira' written across it. A distorted voice was playing across the speakers, and curious about it, you listened. "Once we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing each other our Death Gods," the voice said.

You gasped, the name striking a chord within you. You looked around to see that everyone had puzzled looks on their faces; however, you noted that Light's expression was more of shock. You mouth hardened as your suspicion of him once again increased. Suddenly, L cried out and threw his arms up in the air. He overbalanced on the chair and it toppled over, crashing to the floor. The police rushed to his side, calling his name. You were surprised, but remained behind the group to gauge their reactions. The look on L's face haunted you, the fear in his eyes burning into your memory. "Shinigami…" he said, staring at the screen, "Are you trying to tell me…that such things exist?!" Theories burst out around you, but you continued to watch L as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and pushed the chair back into its original position. He glanced at you quickly, as though wondering why you hadn't contributed. You sent him a silent message with your eyes before turning away and hopping back onto your chair, cross-legged, to continue work on your computer. 'She knows something…when everyone has left, we'll talk,' L thought, glancing at your back before turning to the police and telling them his own theories.

The hands of the clock said exactly 8 o'clock. 'Excellent, everything is going to-"

Your thoughts were cut off by a soft voice behind you. "What information have you deduced from the occurrences of today?" L asked.

You jumped like a guilty child with their hand in the cookie jar. "I-uh…nothing much. Why?" you lied, stammering.

You turned around and saw his shoulders slump. "Oh…I just thought that you had thought of something important," he said.

'Why is she lying to me? She could be working in league for Kira? No…it's more likely that she doesn't want to tell me until her theories are proved beyond reasonable doubt. She looks distracted, as though she's waiting for something. The look on her face certainly made it apparent that she doesn't want to talk…' L reasoned, staring at your face in an attempt to read your emotions.

"Sou nee (well), gomen Ryu-kun. I'll let you know as soon as I've figured it out. I'm going out for a walk now so…I'll be in sometime later," you said, averting your eyes.

'She's not going for a walk, her non-verbal signals are telling me that so loudly she might as well have said it herself…well then where **is** she going?' L thought, puzzled by your antics.

You grew uncomfortable under L's stare. "I'll see you later then!" you shouted out, and practically sprinted down the corridor to the lift.

"Sou dana (well) I guess it's none of my business what she does…completely dressed in black, a black ski mask in her hand and a gun hidden in her vest…" L thought, sweatdropping before reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.

"Watari? Would you ready the private limo? I think I will be needing it."

You were lurking in the bushes around one of the many warehouses in Tokyo. You glanced down at your wristband computer and frowned. 'This **must **be the place…I can't have made a mistake. This is definitely the address that I found after hacking into the file…wait! What's that sound?'

The steel door of the warehouse began to open and a black van rolled out, its headlights dim. You grinned to yourself as you aimed and threw an object at the back of the van. It hit and attached to itself, making a small blip on your computer. 'Well that was easy enough. Now I just have to go and pick him up once I've finished here…' you thought.

As the door rumbled closed, you rolled into the warehouse and crawled behind one of the many trucks that were parked in this massive steel room. Hearing voices, you moved soundlessly over to a good vantage point. You saw that in total, there were five men scattered around the warehouse. Two were wandering around the trucks, obviously sentries, two were smoking and gambling over in the right-hand corner and the last was seated in front of some monitors in a side room. Marking their positions, both in your mind and on your computer map, you crawled on your stomach under a truck to take care of the first kidnapper. He turned away from you and you leapt up, cloth in your hand. You wrapped your legs around the large man and forcefully held the cloth against his nose and mouth. After a small struggle he fell to the ground, unconscious. With much difficulty, you dragged the body into a truck and bolted the doors behind you. You searched on your computer for your next target, and began to move over to his estimated position. You crawled under another truck and were about to stand up when you heard a clicking sound and felt something cold pressed against your skull. 'I sure wish it was L with his fork…'

"What do you think you're doing?" he said gruffly, pulling a transmitter from his pocket.

He looked away for a second to press a button, and you leapt. You wrenched a coil of thick wire out of your vest pocket and drew it around his neck, choking him until he passed out from asphyxia. You dragged the body to the same truck as before and breathed a sigh of relief as you closed the door. "Taji? Taji! Do you copy? We heard a noise over your way, Hoshi is coming to check it out," came a voice over the transmitter still in the unconscious man's hands.

'Kuso!' you thought, panicking.

You quickly bolted the door closed and ran and slid to hide under the truck opposite. You watched as feet passed, before rolling out and creeping up behind him. "Freeze," you said, your voice dripping with menace.

You saw his muscles suddenly tense, and he had the gun halfway up when you raised your heavy metal gun and hit him on the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground with a loud thud, the gun in his hand spinning across the coarse floor. You quickly stored him with the others and stealthily scouted out the next kidnapper. He was sitting at a low wooden table, cigar in mouth as he waited for his gambling companion to return. "What's taking Hoshi so long?" you heard him mumble.

Realising that he would soon become suspicious, you slowly drew the knife hidden in your boot. The metal made a slight sound as it left the holder and the man's head swiveled in your direction. In your haste, your aim was off and instead of hitting the man in the temple where you had intended; the hilt of the knife hit the man in his groin. He went down, gasping. You stood there in shock, if it wasn't such an intense situation, you might have laughed. The brute of a man looked up, saw you and literally snarled. You saw his lip curl and still holding himself, the man lunged at you. In desperation, you drew the knife hidden in the secret holster in your cleavage. As the man got closer, you threw the dagger, and this time your aim rang true. The hilt of the knife connected with the man's temple, and he went down again, however, this time, he had passed out. You exhaled heavily, panting after your ordeal. Feeling sufficiently recovered, you struggled to put his body with the others before going after the last kidnapper. He was sitting in a high-backed leather chair, absorbed in the content of the monitor in front of him. You slowly approached him, gun raised at the dead center of the chair. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I see we've got you surrounded," came a low voice from the chair you were approaching.

The chair swiveled around to reveal a silver-haired man in a white suit. He was sitting cross-legged, a sparkle of amusement apparent in his eyes. Your peripheral vision told you that approximately 10 men had crept into the room behind you. Thinking on your feet, you aimed your gun at the large window and shot, shattering the glass into tiny fragments. Curling your arms around your head for protection, you leapt out of the window, down a two-storey drop. You landed awkwardly on your left leg; however, you were otherwise unharmed and pulled yourself to your feet and sprinted towards the end of the alley. You heard shouting from inside the building, and you realised that you would come to the entrance of the warehouse at the same time as the kidnappers. You hesitated, wondering how to escape the situation. Suddenly, hands grasped your shoulders and pulled you further into the darkness. Thinking that you had been caught, you pivoted around, ready to punch the offender in the face. "Just play along," came a familiar voice.

'Ryu-kun?' you thought, before blushing as he pulled you closer to him.

He quickly pulled off your ski mask, allowing your long blonde hair to spill over your shoulders. "They're looking for a singular person, wearing a ski mask," he said, pushing you over to the wall of the alley.

He pressed you against the smooth steel and put a hand either side of your head. His face was only inches from yours, which involuntarily caused you to blush. The suited men ran past you, completely ignoring your presence. One of the men sneered as he went past, "Get a room, will ya!"

After they had all passed, L stepped back and resumed his usual slouching position. For no reason you could decipher, tears suddenly stung your eyes. You brought a hand up to your face and wiped away the wetness. 'Why am I upset? Is it because…he's so…indifferent to me?' you puzzled, glancing at L.

Not giving yourself time to think, you strode out into the street, illuminated by the streetlight. "Well? Where's your limo?" you asked, boldly.

"Why do you assume that I have a limo?" he asked, pressing a button on his cell.

"You always have a limo…" you said, and sure enough headlights came around the corner of the street.

You looked back at him and poked your tongue out.

Leaning back into the comfy seating of the limo, you examined your arms for cuts from the shattered glass. You flinched as you came across a piece of glass embedded in your forearm. "What was the purpose of this exercise? They will escape and continue to commit crimes," L said, sitting opposite you in his regular seating position.

A series of police sirens wailed past the limo in the direction of the warehouse. You grinned in triumph. "Not anymore," you said, before pulling the glass from your arm and applying pressure through a bandage from your vest, "I gave the police a tip off about the location of the Tokyo kidnappers headquarters, as well as informing them as to where the kidnapped boy was left."

You beamed down at your computer, the screen showing the exact place where the van had stopped. "Well, I guess that's a job well done," you murmured, feeling drowsy.

All of a sudden, something occurred to you. "Ryu-kun! What are you doing here?"

"I tailed you," he said, glancing at you before resuming staring out of the window.

"**What!?**Why?" you burst, enraged.

"You were acting suspicious. I thought that you might have been in danger," he said, defensively.

You deflated, unhappy with his excuse, and then you began to grin slyly. "You were worried about me, weren't you Ryu-kun?" you said, sliding over to sit next to him.

You saw a faint pink cover his cheeks and satisfied with yourself, you leant your head on his shoulder. "Uh…Ahiru-chan?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly.

_You didn't answer and he looked down to see that you were fast asleep, your mouth partially agape. The corner of his mouth jerked up and tentatively, he moved his arm and put it around your shoulders as you slept, completely oblivious._


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, you were woken by the piercing volume of your ring tone

Once again, you were woken by the piercing volume of your ring tone. Your hand automatically reached out from under your covers and you put the phone to your ear. "Hello?" you said.

"Miss Ahiru?" queried a voice.

Recognising the voice from yesterday, you sat up. "Yes?"

"We wanted to thank you for returning our son to us. And…thank you for returning the money to us, minus your fee of course."

A bolt of panic temporarily froze you, however, your voice remained cool and impassive. "No need to thank me, Mr. Yamamoto. I was just doing my job."

"We are forever grateful. Arigatou, Miss Ahiru."

You hung up the phone and sat there in silence. 'I never returned their money…who? Who could have known?!'

Narrowing your eyes, only one possibility occurred to you. 'Him.'

The police and Light turned to look as the door buckled in on its hinges. With a loud thud, it hit the floor and you slowly walked in. They stared at you, their mouths hanging open. "Normal people would use a doorknob, Ahiru-chan," Matsuda said, sweatdropping.

He caught sight of your deadly expression and slowly backed away, unsuccessfully trying to hide himself behind a conveniently placed sofa. An aura of menace followed in your wake, as you approached where L was sitting staring at a television screen. He looked up at you, a thoughtful expression on his face as he chewed a mouthful of cake. "What did you do?!" you said, your voice rising with each syllable.

He frowned. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Ahiru-chan."

Your anger flared up at his innocent expression. Reaching a hand out, you wrenched him entirely out of his chair by the collar of his shirt. The plate with a piece of half-eaten cake clattered to the floor as you shook him. "What did you do?!" you shouted, your common sense consumed by rage.

L glanced across at the shocked police officers and said in a calm voice, "Please give me a minute."

"But Ryuuzaki!" Yagami Sochirou called out, taking a step towards him.

L shook his head. "Only for a minute, I'm in no danger."

Yagami hesitantly turned around and ushered the others out of the room, stepping over the fallen door. "What's this about?" L asked, seemingly unfazed at being strangled by an enraged woman.

"You transferred the money back, didn't you! And took **my** commission for yourself!" you accused, the questions coming out as statements.

"Yes and no," he said, cryptically.

Maddened, you shook him again to show that you were serious. "How both?"

"I admit that I did transfer the money back into their account from the temporary account you created to siphon the money after the initial transaction. However, I did not take your commission," L said, speaking in a calm tone.

"So where is it, then?" you asked, wondering if you had been perhaps a little too hasty in your assumption.

L reached out and tapped a few buttons on his keyboard, prompting a new window to open. It took a second for the information to register and you quickly released L, blushing profusely. 'He transferred the money straight into my account? Wait, how did he even **find** it?' you thought, then something else occurred to you, 'Oh no…did I just assault my employer?!'

You began to panic, reasoning that L would be terminating your contract with him and kick you out on the street. Arms flailed as your mind rushed over every single abstract possibility, and you failed to notice L quietly move back to his chair and continue his observation. It finally registered, and you paused, arms still raised in the air. "Y-you're not going to fire me?" you asked, hope in your voice.

"Your services are still useful to me," he replied, his attention focused on the screen.

Your anger reemerged. 'That's all I am? A service? Like a plumber or a carpenter?'

"However, you're going to have to replace the door."

All of your anger towards him dissipated, and you sweatdropped at his lack of reaction.

Mumbling to yourself, you walked over at your workstation and sat cross-legged on your leather chair, tapping keys to construct a program. Matsuda knocked on the wall near the doorway. "Uh…Ryuuzaki? Can we come back in? Has it left yet?"

"I would not recommend-" began L.

"Matsuda," you said sweetly, sidling up next to him, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IT?!"

He fell the floor, temporarily unconscious with swirls in his eyes. The other investigation members stepped over him and reentered the room. "We couldn't help but overhear the situation-" said Yagami Sochirou.

"I'm sure you could," you grumbled, your arms folded across your chest.

"-but we were wondering, if Ahiru-chan can make that much money from just one job…why was it hard for her the pay her rent?" Matsuda cut in, completely recovered.

"She funds-" L said, face still turned towards his screen.

You laughed loudly, almost suspiciously, and rubbed the back of your neck. "What can I say? I'm a gambler."

The Kira investigators all sweatdropped at you. L's head turned slightly and he looked at you curiously. You shot him a look before walking back to your computer and double-checking that the money was in your account before secretly siphoning it out of that account and into a confidential account.

You heard the word 'diary' behind you, and you focused in on their conversation. They seemed to be discussing a course of action about information from a diary. You gathered that the second Kira had sent this diary page as a way of contacting the real Kira. 'The Giant's game seems high risk for someone like the second Kira to attend…and they would have guessed that by adding that entry, police presence would have increased…so it seems less likely that that was their intent. 22nd of May…at Aoyama, we looked at each other's notebooks? Aoyama…a neighbourhood of Tokyo which is popular for its shopping, fashion houses and restaurants…highly popular with young people…this seems to suggest that the second Kira is… a young female? '

"If I'm honest…this is so dumb, I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. If we broadcast this diary, we'd also have to make the announcement that the match on the 30th will be cancelled. Yet, if we don't broadcast the diary, the second Kira won't make their move," L said, moving over to sit on one of the cream lounges.

You listened to his words, a plan slowly forming itself in your mind. L announced that that the roads around the Tokyo Dome would be controlled and the fake Kira would send another message consenting to the meeting. When he mentioned that they were unsure of the second Kira's level of intelligence, your eyebrows furrowed. 'This second Kira kills by just seeing the person…how is that possible? Is it developed over time…a secret technique perhaps? An immense organisation of crime-fighters? We don't even know how many of these 'Kira's' have this gift…is it given? If so, why is there no evidence of this happening before? Why only now? And Shinigami's…how are they related?'

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice your name being called. "Ahiru-chan," L said.

Your eyes snapped back into focus and you stared at him, blankly. "Yes?" you asked, wishing you had paid attention.

"What is your opinion?" L queried, staring straight into your eyes.

You squirmed in your seat, wondering how he had noticed that you had been listening to the conversation. Not wanting to give away only information on your theories, you quickly said, "I agree with your plans. I think it is the best course of action."

Turning back to your computer, you heard Matsuda and Light volunteer to go to Aoyama. You allowed yourself a small smile of triumph, before reverting back to your blank expression. 'I knew it. He suspects as well. That's why he's going to Aoyama. Light-kun, this only increases my suspicions more.'

It was late at night and there was only L and you in the police headquarters. The only audible noises were the rhythmic tap of L's keyboard and the occasional thump from your desk as you constructed your computer's complex microchip. You heard some soft footsteps and you looked over to the right to see the famed detective's head hovering above your shoulder. Startled, you resisted the urge to recoil and turned back to your desk. "What is it?" you asked, slowly.

"What are your thoughts about the second Kira?" he questioned in his low voice.

You retained your emotionless expression. "Have I given you any reason to suggest that I might know something?"

He frowned slightly. 'Why won't you tell me, Ren Aoyami? Why are you hiding things from me?'

Your alarm buzzed at 7 o'clock in the morning. Groggy, you hit the snooze button before sitting bolt upright in your bed. "Aoyama!"

You stepped off the train at the Aoyama train station, completely unrecognizable. Your long blonde hair was hidden under a cropped brunette wig, and you were dressed in a baggy t-shirt and jeans. A baseball cap was pulled down to cover your unusual smoky-coloured eyes and unless someone was looking closely, you could almost be mistaken for a boy, which was exactly your objective. You double-checked everything on your mental list, making sure that you had not forgotten anything vital to your plan. 'Okay, I rigged the cameras inside my room and if anyone touches the doorknob, the computer will automatically ring my phone which is connected to some speakers hidden in the human-shaped figure under my blankets. If this does occur, I will say that I am not feeling well and that I want to be left alone. Hopefully, this will satisfy any curious minds,' you thought, walking down the sidewalk past the numerous retail outlets until you entered a cafe.

'Now…on to today's plan. Since the obvious references to a notebook seem to suggest the Note Blue nightclub, I will wait in this café for Light and Matsuda's group to pass me. I will then pretend to be a criminal and grab one of the women's handbags, in my haste accidentally dropping the wallet I have prepared with an I.D. showing the robber's name and profile…'

Your thoughts were interrupted as at the table next to yours, you heard a voice muttering to itself. Curious, you looked over to see a black-haired schoolgirl with glasses seemingly talking to herself. Hearing a name that sounded close to your given name, you decided to investigate further and stood up to move over to her table. Unfortunately, your foot caught on the leg of the chair and you tripped over, falling straight into the startled girl. The both of you fell to the floor, with you landing on your hands and knees on top of her. A high-pitched scream followed by cries of 'Pervert!' brought you out of your daze and you hurriedly got to your feet and sprinted out of the café. Many blocks away, you put your hands on your knees and panted in exhaustion, desperately trying to regain your breath. 'Stupid…girl…! Why did she have to ruin my plan?! It's too late to go back and try again now…KUSO! I was so close to finding out if Light really does have anything to do with Kira!'

You sat down on a bench, and waited for your heart rate to return to normal before thinking of what to do next. Completely binning your plan, you decided to go back to the hotel to see what you could salvage from the situation. As you boarded the train back into central Tokyo, a thought struck you, "I wonder who that girl was talking to…"


	9. Chapter 9

You made it back to the hotel and quickly disconnected the camera loop and the speakers before changing into a blue cotton dre

You made it back to the hotel and quickly disconnected the camera loop and the speakers before changing into a blue cotton dress with a hood. Stepping out of your room, the world suddenly felt like it was spinning. You leant against the wall, trying to focus your eyes. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, the dizziness disappeared. 'I hope that I don't actually get sick…although I recognise the irony…'

Straightening up, you slowly made your way to HQ and entered the room. Only Yagami Sochirou and L were present, and you quickly waved a greeting to the both of them before seating yourself in your usual chair in front of your computer. "Are you feeling well now?" asked Yagami's deep voice.

"Yes. Thank you for asking, Mr. Yagami," you lied.

You sat silently working on your wristband computer, handling a screwdriver in one hand when another bout of dizziness came over you. A hand raised to your forehead, you waited it out. Only this time, it did not cease and you found yourself feeling faint. "Miss Ahiru? Are you alright?" Mr. Yagami asked, concern tingeing his voice.

**Thump!**

"Miss Ahiru!"

"Watari, Please bring the hotel medic to Ahiru's room. It appears she is still unwell," L said, picking up your unconscious form off the floor and carrying you away.

You felt something being placed on your forehead and your eyes fluttered open to stare straight into an old man's face. The face slowly moved away and he muttered to someone standing at the foot of the bed. The man was wearing a formal suit and a stethoscope dangled loosely around his neck. 'A doctor? Oh no…I must have fainted…damn! I can't get sick…I've got so much to do!'

A face hovered over you and as it came into focus, you recognised the familiar blue eyes (I'm pretty sure they're blue…I mean I've seen them and there's little blue rings around the pupils yet in some pictures he looks like he has brown eyes…) and midnight hair. "Ryu?" you whispered, weakly.

"Yes?" he answered, his eyes betraying his concern for you.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Just a cold. You've overworked yourself so you just need to have a lot of rest and drink lots of fluids," he said, turning over the damp cloth on your forehead.

"Oh. Thank god it's just a cold…" you said, exhaling loudly in relief.

"Just make sure you don't overdo it," the doctor said, putting his stethoscope inside his black leather suitcase before nodding to L and leaving the room.

"I'll call a maid to look after you until you feel well again," L said, moving to the doorway.

"No, don't be silly. I don't need a maid. I can look after myself," you said, sitting up and crossing your arms.

"Yes, I can see that you look after yourself very well," L replied, silhouetted in the doorway.

"You know what I mean. How about I just call you if I need something?" you suggested.

"That wouldn't be very efficient. I would lose a lot of time traveling between rooms."

You sighed in exasperation before pulling the sheets up to your chin. "Suit yourself. Good night."

You awoke to the sound of keys tapping. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes, you looked over to your left and were surprised to see L sitting at a small table with a computer perched atop of it. "Did I wake you? I apologise…I shall be more careful in future," he said, glancing at your startled face.

"What? No. I mean…what are you **doing** in here?!"

"By completing my investigation while at the same time observing you, I can reduce the amount of wasted time," L said.

You spluttered, "But…but…you're in my room!"

"Is that a problem? I am…how do you say, invading your privacy?" he asked, his eyes watching you curiously.

"No…it's no problem," you replied, a faint blush crossing your cheeks.

"Very well then," he said, turning back to his computer.

You hugged your knees and looked down at your intertwined hands. "Have you heard back from the police and Light-kun?"

"Aizawa, Mochi and Yagami are all working on the case in the main headquarters," he said, and as you opened your mouth to speak, he continued, "No. They did not find any mention of the second Kira."

You closed your mouth and looked back down at your hands. "No word from Matsuda-san and Light-kun?" you questioned, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Not as yet. Do you have a special interest in Aoyama?" he replied, his voice a little too innocent for your liking.

"I am just merely curious about the investigation's progress. I **am** a member of the investigation, so I deserve to be aware of all the information which is discovered," you retorted, feeling defensive.

"Yes. I should be telling you the same thing."

"W-what do you mean?" you asked, nervously.

"You hide your thoughts and theories behind carefully worded phrases and vague answers. Tell me…is it us you're really working for?"

Your panic levels rose even higher, and all of a sudden you became deathly cold. "I don't know what you're implying, **sir**, but I assure you that I am dedicated to your cause one hundred percent."

"I see," he said, not trusting your words at all.

'So she is working for someone else…her eyes are lying to me… I will find out why she evades the question of her loyalty with meaningless words…Ren Aoyama…I will find out your secret.'

"Ahiru-chan…if you can give me an honest answer…tell me, why didn't you tell them where your money really goes?"

You allowed yourself a small humourless smile before answering, "Along with a multi-billion dollar company, I help fund a world-wide charity which gives money to families or individuals requiring it. Whether they are in need of food, education, accommodation, our charity provides it for no cost…I'm not trying to be humble or anything, but I don't like dealing with admiration…it's a useless emotion…"

"You don't want to receive approval for your actions? That's unusual, as humans we generally crave approval," L said.

"Being admired does not bring profit to anyone, it only leads to an increase in ego which is something I have no use for."

L glanced at you, surprised by the conviction in your words. 'She's not lying about this…'

Your ring tone pierced the tense atmosphere and you jumped slightly in shock. Tentatively, you reached out and looked at the caller I.D. You swallowed and said quietly, "Ryu-kun, could you get me a glass of water, please?"

He nodded at you, and walked slowly out of the door and down the hallway. You heard his receding footsteps and sighed in relief. "Yes?"

"Hello Ren. What have you got for us?" asked a shrewd woman's voice.

Lowering your voice to barely above a whisper, you said, "Meet you tomorrow, the usual time and place."

"Affirmative," said the voice, and the phone line went dead.

L walked back into the room with your glass of water in hand; frustrated that it had taken almost half an hour to locate the kitchen in this large hotel. "I have your water, Ahiru-chan."

Alarmed by your lack of response, he walked over to your bed and was exasperated to see that you were in a deep slumber. He sighed and set the glass of water on your bedside table next to your phone. Glancing swiftly at you to assure that you were still sleeping, he delicately picked up your phone and carried it over to his table before typing furiously on his keyboard.

"You're still here?" you asked, incredulously.

"Until you are well…" he replied.

Sighing, you said, "That is no longer necessary. I am feeling completely refreshed."

L gaze drifted dubiously over you, his doubt evident. "I shall call the doctor-"

"There's no need for that! I swear that I'm just as healthy as anybody else!" you said, cutting him off.

His orbs remained on you a fraction longer before returning to his screen. Taking your chance, you quickly exited the room with all materials you required.

"You have information for us, yes?" her voice drawled, drifting to the row in front.

"Of course," you said, concealing the hate in your voice directed towards the woman sitting in the cinema row behind you.

You slipped a folder through the seats beside you and you saw the manicured tips of fingers as the file was snatched away. "Arigato, Ren. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"You as well," you sneered, unable to hide the contempt.

The atmosphere behind you hardened, and your muscles tensed in panic. "Watch your mouth, girl. Wouldn't want your little kiddies to go hungry now, would we?"

Although the remark came across casually, you felt the hidden menace in the words. A wave of air washed over you as her heavy fur coat breezed past behind you. You grated your teeth in an attempt not to scream obscenities at her retreating back, and instead tried to appear interested in the film. Eyes burned as you thought about the betrayal you had just conducted. "Forgive me, Ryu-kun…I never wanted this to happen…"


	10. Chapter 10

"Ahiru-chan

"Ahiru-chan?" called a voice as you exited the cinemas.

You spun on your heel, startled that your name had been called so familiarly. "Light?" you said, staring at the brown haired genius, "What are you doing in this neighbourhood?"

"I'm heading to Ryuuzaki's. I can ask you the same question," he said, stopping a meter away from you.

"Oh…I just…wanted some fresh air…I'm feeling a little stuffy in that big empty hotel…" you lied, knowing that he was getting more suspicious with each syllable you uttered.

Light nodded, his dangerous eyes betraying his innocent expression. "Would you like me to accompany you back to the hotel?" he asked, holding out his arm for you to take.

"Arigato, Light-kun!" you chirped, taking his offered arm.

Standing close, you walked arm in arm together back to Ryuuzaki's hotel.

"That was a long walk, Ahiru-chan," L commented from his usual chair.

Struggling for a response, you managed, "I lost track of the time…sorry, Ryu-kun…"

Blue eyes looked up in what you classed as surprise, before looking back to a white screen with the words Kira written across it. You moved to a chair and were about to sit down when you froze at the sound of Light's voice, panic coursing through you. "Ryuuzaki, I wish to speak to you in private."

The detective looked up at the odd request and slightly inclined his head towards Light.

"Let us use the soundproof room, Light-kun," L said, getting up from his chair and leaving the room with Light.

"Kuso…he going to tell him that he's suspicious of me…that I'm lying to them and really deceiving them all…"

Attempting to look natural, you pulled your work to you and tried to work, all the while, blood was pumping in your ears and your heart raced. "Oh god…L will find out what I've done…find out my relationship with Korma Corp…he'll expose me to the public…push me out on the streets…I'll lose my reputation…people will die because of this…and…and I'll be all alone again…"

"I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" you screamed, placing your hands over your ears and sprinting from the room.

Startled faces stared at the doorway as you left the room, wondering what had happened.

Running down the corridors, your mind formed its resolve. "I don't care if I have to fund every penny myself. I can't live like this anymore!"

Bursting into your room, you scrambled around to pack everything you needed into a suitcase before leaving the room and taking the elevator down to the lobby. You stood on the opposite side of the street to L's hotel, torn at whether to really leave the man you owed so much to. Your piercing ring tone jumped you out of your thoughts and you looked down to see the caller I.D. Resisting the urge to answer his call, you turned and walked down the street, merging with the crowd. Your discarded phone howled at its abandonment, crying out for you to return and answer the call from the man you'd betrayed.

"For your services, arigato," bowed the black-haired man dressed in a formal brown suit.

You inclined your head, your neck feeling stiff under the high collar of your dark trench coat.

The man quickly turned and exited the café, and you picked up the brown envelope the man had pushed over the table. Inwardly, you sighed. 'It's been over a month since I left… I wonder how the investigation is going…'

As you left the café and strolled down the sidewalk back to your small apartment, you let your thoughts wander. 'I wonder if Matsuda feels cheated 'cause I never had that coffee with him…hahaha, and I bet Light-kun looked worried, with those dangerous eyes of his… Ryu-kun probably just shrugged it off and turned back to his computer…'

As this thought crossed your mind, you sighed heavily and looked up at the clouded sky. 'I guess he didn't care after all.'

"I'm home!" you called as you entered the front door of your apartment.

Silence greeted you as you took your shoes off and put your trench coat on a hook by the door. Underneath you were wearing a skintight leather suit with your trademark pocketed vest. You walked past the kitchen to the living room, before flopping on the couch and flipping on the TV. Blank eyes watched the moving screen before you grew bored and switched it off. In reality you were wasting time until midnight, waiting for the darkness to fully settle on Korma Corp. 'They won't know what hit 'em.'

Grinning to yourself, you walked into the cramped bedroom filled with electronic equipment. Stumbling over a thick wire, you grimaced at the mess as you waded your way over to the central desk. Going down a mental checklist, you placed things in various pockets and looped equipment through your belt. Attaching the last piece of equipment, you smiled to yourself. 'The last day of my imprisonment to Korma…tonight…I'm going to be set free!'

Levering yourself up, you could see over the top of the high concrete fence surrounding Korma Corp. Noting the guards number and position, you quickly pulled yourself over the fence and sunk into the shadows at its base. 'Why are there so many guards protecting this place?' you wondered, as you crawled around the fence to find the side entrance. No one noticed as you made your way to the door, nor the click the decoder made as it attached to the password protected entranceway. The decoder made a small click to signal that it had successfully opened the door, but instead of entering, you pulled out a phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Watanabe?"

"Yes?" came a gruff voice on the line.

"I'm sorry to inform you of this situation, but I'm afraid your mother has been hospitalized in the Tokyo Adventist Hospital after a heart attack. Her condition is critical and we are unsure of whether she will make the night. She is calling for you, can we expect you?"

"Oh my god! Mum! Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can!" the man said, panicking as he tried to put his coat on whilst rushing out of the door to the surveillance room.

You hung up the phone. 'Alright, so good so far.'

No longer holding a fear about the cameras, you strode into the building. A quarter of an hour later, you had located the lift and were standing, patiently waiting for the lift to reach the 32nd floor. "32nd floor. The manager's rooms and central headquarters," said the lift as it opened the thick metal doors.

Taking a swift glance to ensure that no one was present, you made your way past the heavy wooden doors into a large room with an enormous desk in the center. 'That's definitely her desk…' you thought, sweatdropping, 'OK, now I have a file to find and limited time to find it, so focus Ahiru!'

After another quarter hour searching fruitlessly for the file, two sets of footsteps could be heard approaching the door. Looking around in panic, you quickly sprinted across to a side door, praying that it would lead you to a safe room. Wrenching it open, and closing it shut behind you, you leant against it, panting softly. The room you had entered was dark, and you couldn't discern anything in the shadows. "Yes. Thank you for joining me tonight," a female voice drifted under the doorway.

Hearing the familiar voice, a shudder went down your spine. "It was no problem, Lady Megume," said a second voice, one you didn't recognise, "Have you got the file?"

'Megume? Have I heard that before?'

"Of course, it's right here," replied the manager of Korma Corp.

You heard shuffling of papers on the desk, and then, "Here it is. The lovely Ahiru provided me with this information."

Your breath caught in your throat as you realised the seriousness of the situation. After lying dormant for a month, she had finally decided to use the information to destroy L. 'I can't let her have that file!'

"Ahiru? Why did-"

"I told her that if she refused, I would retract Korma's funding of her parent's precious charity which she still carries on," the woman laughed.

The man joined in her laughing, and as the two of them laughed, you gritted your teeth in utter contempt and loathing. 'I will get that file back, and after I've done that, I'll be the one to destroy you!'

"So how soon should I kill the famous L?" the man asked, the laughter still present in his voice.

"Any time is perfect. There's no way anyone can link it back to us. The sooner the better," she replied, "Then we can finally get away with whatever we like, whenever we like. There won't be that pesky detective always standing in our way anymore."

Shock reverberated through you as you ingested their words. 'They're going to murder L? I have to stop them before it's too late!'

You heard footsteps exit the doorway and you jumped into action. Quickly scanning the desk to confirm that she had taken the file, you sprinted after them.

Reaching them, you extended your hand and snatched the file from Megume's grasp. She looked around, ready to discipline the person who had taken it, when she saw the ski mask. Her eyes bored into yours before she threw back her head and laughed. Your entire body felt like it was on fire as you recognised the woman in front of you. "So you finally came, Ren? I must say, I was expecting you earlier," she said, her words scything through you, straight to your heart.

_You spoke her name in disbelief, "Obaachan?" _


	11. Chapter 11

She laughed at the surprise in your voice

She laughed at the surprise in your voice. "Didn't think that your dear dead grandma would be your puppeteer, did you?"

The middle aged man dressed in a black suit, you now saw had shoulder length brown hair and the most terrifying eyes you'd ever seen. They weren't like L's eyes, cool and calculating, or even Light's eyes, dangerous and secretive, these eyes were the eyes of a madman.

"But Grandma…why are you doing this? Didn't you drown? What's going on?" you spoke; unable to take in the silver-haired woman you'd lost so many years ago.

"Awww, the little dear. She doesn't want to accept it. But you must accept it, Ren; I had to stage my own death so I could start my new life running Korma Corp, and look at me now!"

"You…demon. You're nothing like the woman I used to admire!" you spat, feeling the hate spreading under your skin.

"You mean the one who took you in after your parents untimely death? Ever wonder how that fire spread so fast? Gasoline does wonders these days," she drawled, every word making your head spin.

"You killed them?! Your own son and his wife?! What kind of human are you??" you shouted, feeling faint.

"The worst kind," she replied, her eyes glittering dangerously, "Now, Kyosuke, are you going to kill her or am I?"

Panic coursed through you as you waited for him to pull a gun on you, and as he pulled his hand out of his jacket, your mouth opened in surprise. In his grasp was a small black notebook. Your eyebrows furrowed as you wondered how he was going to kill you. He flipped open the book, and his pen was poised over the paper as he asked, "So…Aoyami-san, what does she look like?"

Your grandmother snapped with impatience and wrenched the book from his grasp. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Ren, say hi to your parents for me."

She began to write and a sense of foreboding came over you. In an instant, you kicked the book from her hold and it spun across the floor behind them. As the man ran to retrieve his precious notebook, your grandmother watched you, something like respect twisting her hateful features, before she shrieked, "GUARDS!!"

Five burly men in black suits came sprinting at their master's beckoning, standing in between the two of you. The men come rushing at you, and you fended them off, feeling yourself growing weaker under their strong blows. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw your grandmother and the man with the notebook walking away. "Come back!" you shouted, trying to fight your way through to them.

"You're lucky that I don't kill you, Ren. You see, I still may have a use for you. However, I no longer need Korma Corp, I will be retracting their funding, so I hope that you will find another sponsor before people begin to die," your grandmother said, before disappearing from your view.

Her comments enraged you, and as quickly as the battle had begun, it was over. Stepping over the unconscious bodies, you followed the escaping pair. Meeting a closed door, you burst through it to find yourself on the roof of the building. Wind whipped at your body, pushing you from all directions. A helicopter was lifting off the pad, and inside you saw your grandmother and the man, Kyosuke. Sprinting towards it, you knew you were too late, and as it disappeared into the night, the last thing you saw was your grandmother's leering expression.

You stood there on the roof, your fists clenched tight and you teeth grating together. Even though you had retrieved the file you had been searching for, you felt defeated. Shaking the feeling off, you decided to finish what you had come here to do. Walking back through the door, you realised that you couldn't just leave the men here; they were only doing their job after all. Pulling them into the lift with you, you waited until you reached the ground level before dragging them to the front entrance. You left them there, however, not before sending a message to the guards outside, "The building is going to explode, collect your comrades in the entrance and then run like hell."

Sprinting, you made it to the way you had entered and exited the building. The adrenaline pumped through your veins as you took a flying leap at the fence surrounding the building and hauled yourself over, landing heavily on the ground. Seeing the guards carrying their fallen friends away down the street, you released a breath and pressed the button to give an electric jolt to the C-4 you had planted on the ground level. Turning and strolling down the street, a massive explosion went off behind you, the wind buffeting you around as the skyscraper fell to its knees and finally collapsed. 'I guess that's the end of Korma Corp…and hopefully… I will never hear from her again'

You had one last stop before you could go home, and by the time you walked there, the rays of dawn were lightening the sky. You had removed your ski mask, not wanting any trouble from suspicious early-risers. Looking up at the building, you wondered if you should go inside. 'Iie, it'll only make it harder to leave…' Shaking your head to rid yourself of those thoughts, you placed the file at the front entrance and turned to walk away. "I know everything, Ahiru-chan," spoke a soft voice from just inside the building.

You froze, your body no longer wanting to leave. "Move, dammit!" you swore at yourself.

He walked up to you, and you could hear the soft footfalls of his bare feet on the cement. "Stop…don't come any closer, L," you said, feeling betrayed by your own body.

The footsteps came to a halt and you sighed in relief. "I heard about Korma Corp, I know what you did," he said, his tone even and low.

You tensed, waiting for him to call the police out of the building. "However, there's no evidence pointing to you, and the police have decided that the explosion was caused through a wide-scale fault in the wiring."

You exhaled, loudly. "Don't think that relieves you of your crime, for your punishment…you must return to the investigation. And don't attempt to escape with the excuse of making up the shortfall from Korma's desertion, it has already been decided that I will support the Aoyami Foundation in their stead."

Turning around slowly, you looked up into his face to see if he was lying. His level gaze assured you that he was stating the truth, and in a wave of excitement, you threw yourself upon the startled detective. "Arigato, Ryu-kun! I'm so happy! Arigato! Arigato! Arigato!" you said, your arms tightening around his neck.

Leaning backwards to see his expression, you were surprised to see a small smile gracing his features. "So that's a yes?" he asked.

"Of course! I'd love to come back, Ryu-kun!"

Another wave of excitement hit you and you hugged him again. After a few minutes, L was wondering why you were so attached to him. Taking your chin in his hand, he lifted your face up. '…She's asleep already? Oh well, Watari should have her room prepared.'

Being careful not to disturb your restful sleep, he picked you up and carried you inside the building.

You wandered through the halls, trying to navigate yourself to the main room, having woken after a rejuvenating sleep. "Ahiru-chan, good morning!" called a voice, startling you from your dream-like state.

"Oh…good morning, Mogi-san" you stammered, startled by his demeanour.

You began walking side by side towards the main room, you dreading the interrogation that was going to come about your hasty departure a month ago.

"How was your holiday in Europe?" Mogi asked, his voice light and querying.

"Uh…Europe?"

"Ryuuzaki told us that you were holidaying for a few weeks in Europe. Isn't that right?" he questioned, politely.

"Oh…did he…" you said, pushing the door open into the main headquarters.

As you entered, the other members of the investigation looked up and either greeted you by name or nodded in acknowledgement. "Ohiyo, Ahiru-chan!" called Matsuda, a little too eagerly.

"Ohiyo, Matsuda-san," you replied, sweatdropping a little.

Feeling curious and more than a little confused, you approached L's high-backed leather chair. "Ahiru-chan," he said, nodding your way.

"Ryu-kun, can I speak to you?" you asked, and when he nodded and waited for you to speak, you continued, "In private?"

He rose from his chair and hesitatingly left his computer, to follow you out into the hall. You felt a spark of anger that he was torn between speaking to you and staring at a computer screen, but shrugged it off as a personality trait. "Yes?" he asked, after a heavy silence.

"You told them that I was holidaying in Europe?" you inquired, raising your eyebrows.

"It…seemed the most reasonable excuse. I assumed that you would not like to explain yourself to everyone," he explained, the tone of his voice asking whether this assumption was correct.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Ryu-kun. Saved me a lot of hassle. I just…wasn't expecting it," you admitted, feeling annoyed that your anger had been sparked so easily.

"I doubt that Light-kun believed that story, however, he has changed considerably after you left…and there is a less than 1 chance that he is Kira," L said, looking slightly upset.

You let out an involuntary gasp at that information, causing L to wonder. 'Did she really suspect him that much? Maybe I should double-check my figures…is there something I've missed?'

"So…where is Light-kun? And Yagami-san for that matter?" you questioned, realising that you had not seen them in the investigation headquarters.

At this, L looked slightly uncomfortable and he averted his gaze. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion, "What did you do?"

He made a strangled noise in his throat before saying, "They have been under 24 hour surveillance, along with Amane Misa."

Your mouth almost fell open in shock. "Like…Misa-Misa? The idol?! What have you done to her?!"

He sighed, as if he had already predicted how you'd react. "She's suspected of being the second Kira."

His words both surprised and subdued you. "Ok…I can accept that…sort of…but then why is Yagami-san under surveillance? I can't imagine he'd play any part in this."

"He made the request himself. He has decided that he's coming out with Light-kun, or he's not coming out at all."

"Oh. When will they be released?"

L looked even more uncomfortable at this question. "We have planned for their release in 13 minutes time."

You nodded in understanding, "It will be nice to talk to Light-kun now that we're convinced he's no longer Kira."

L gave you a curious look. 'I didn't say that I had completely given up on that theory.'

_You gave him a warm smile, before saying, "Let's go back inside."_


	12. Chapter 12

"Ryu-kun

"Ryu-kun!" you shouted, distraught, "How can you do this to them? It's one thing to keep them confined, another to threaten them with death!"

"Please quiet down, Ahiru-chan, this is the only way to prove their innocence," L said, not taking his eyes off the screen showing the inside of the car.

"But this is cruel, Ryu-kun…I can understand your plan, but surely there's a better way?" you pleaded, tugging on L's sleeve.

Your pleas finally attracted his attention and he looked up at you, his eyes wide. "Ahiru-chan…please understand this. There is no other way."

Your gray eyes stared into his blue ones, both of two imploring the other to see the situation from their perspective. Screaming reached your ears and your gaze focused in on the screen. Yagami was aiming a gun at his son's head at point blank range. Amane Misa was screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks. The expression on Light's face was horrifying, his eyes were wide in disbelief at what his father was about to commit. You stared at the screen, shock coursing through your body. "He's…he's really going to shoot him! Are you positive that the bullet is blank? If you're not 100 certain-"

"Stop worrying, Ahiru-chan. This is Ryuuzaki, after all. If there's anyone you can trust, you can trust him," Aizawa said, his faith absolute.

You closed your mouth and watched in silence by L's chair, no longer wanting to cause a commotion. As Yagami's grip tightened on the trigger, you closed your eyes to block out their terrified expressions. Misa's high-pitched shriek pierced your eardrums, and your hands automatically covered your ears and you crouched down, trying to think of anything other than the situation on the screen. A hand reached down and grasped your own, and you looked up, startled. Your scared, childish eyes met with collected, soft blue irises and you felt your fear slowly ebb away. However, before the contact could create meaning, a shot was fired and L was immediately tapping with both hands on the keyboard. "Hai. It was a very realistic performance…" was the last thing you heard before moving away to sit at where you had worked for so many nights months ago.

You stared at the chain joining the two geniuses together, wondering about the logic that led to this situation. 'Is L getting this desperate about finding Kira that he'll willingly join himself to Light? But he wouldn't have done this if he weren't still suspicious…and Misa, where does she fit in with this all?'

Watching the situation from your workstation, you watched Misa, trying to place her in a mental file. 'Is she…acting or is she really that… ignorant? Why is she so attached to Light as well? I can understand that she'd be physically attracted to him, but to form an infatuation that quickly, it must be something deeper. I must find out what caused this…'

"So Misa, you're living here as well?" you asked, prodding for more information from the blonde idol.

"Yep. Misa would never leave her Light-kun!" she replied, her bubbly voice causing your eyebrows to raise.

"Where is he anyway?" you asked, looking around Misa's floor.

Misa realised that Light was no longer in grasping reach and quickly left the room calling for her stealthy boyfriend.

You sighed, noticing that you were alone again. Making your way to the central headquarters, you weren't surprised to see the duo side-by-side working at computers. "Misa's looking for you…again," you warned Light, sitting down at your computer.

His eyes widened and he looked around as if expecting the blonde-haired woman to appear behind him. "Women can be nuisances," L commented, his mind barely focused on the conversation.

Your eye twitched in annoyance, and you went to stand behind his chair, an aura of blackness surrounding you. "Women are what, Ryu-kun?" you snapped, angered by his rash statement.

He swiveled around in his chair, obviously unaware of the comment he made. "What is it Ahiru-chan?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Your anger flared up even more that he had made such a sexist statement without noticing, but you realised that he was merely making an observation and had not intended to insult. "I-It's nothing…keep working, Ryu-kun…maybe we'll find something soon," you panned, slumping back to your chair.

L's curious eyes followed you, confused as to the reason behind your actions.

"Liiggghhhttttttt-kkkuuunnnn!!" squealed a high-pitched voice from the doorway.

Your eyes widened as the blonde launched herself at Light's unprotected back. "Misa?" Light choked, barely able to breath with tight arms blocking his airways.

"Kindly release Light-kun, I believe you are choking him, Misa," L said calmly, his careful eyes watching the scene before him.

You stopped your work and stared at the situation, the same confusion from before taunting and teasing your mind. 'What is it that makes her so attached to him? If Light-kun was Kira and Misa was the second Kira…everything would make sense. The only problem is that rule which says that if the person doesn't use it for 13 days…they'll die. So Light and Misa are both innocent…but then…why the sudden change in Light? His eyes are different…if I had to guess…I'd have to say that either Light really isn't Kira…or he has some sort of dark side that receded during his imprisonment and...'

"So will you help me, Ahiru-chan?" a sweet voice trickled through your senses.

"Huh? What?" you stuttered, your train of thought completely broken.

"Will you help Misa bake?" she asked, smiling innocently at you.

You looked down at the floor for a minute before saying, "Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do."

L watched your retreating back as you exited the room.

"What is it, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked, noticing his companion's behaviour.

"Does Ahiru-chan seem kind of…down to you?" the black-haired man questioned.

Light turned at looked at the empty doorway; he looked at the ceiling and then at her workbench, deep in thought. "I think she…is still pained over the Korma incident. Maybe someone should talk to her," Light replied, his eyes looking pointedly in L's direction.

"Hmm…you may be right. I shall book her a session with a psychologist-"

Light sighed loudly, interrupting, "I didn't mean it like that Ryuuzaki. I meant you should go and talk to her."

L's eyes widened in puzzlement. "Why should I be the one?"

'How can you be so smart and so oblivious?'

"You are the closest to her obviously," Light remarked lightly, gesturing with his chained hand.

Blue orbs burned into the side of Light's head. 'I'm the…closest?'

Blaring alarms ripped L from his musings and his head snapped around to see what was causing the commotion. "Watari, Report!"

"I'm afraid the two girls are not having much luck with their baking. They've set off the fire alarm," Watari's voice crackled over the loud speaker.

L quickly switched the monitor to display the interior of Misa's kitchen. "Light-kun…why is the screen gray?"

"The smoke is blocking it…" Light replied, his laughter somewhere between astonishment and amusement.

L turned back to the screen and clicked on the audio to the surveillance camera. "Misa! Where are you? Are you Okay? I don't think the cake should be this black," your voice shouted.

"I think so too…Ahiru-chan, what should we do? Ryuuzaki-kun will be so mad at me when he finds out that I've wrecked his oven," a second voice cried out, equally panicked.

L sighed, before clicking on the two-way speaker. "It's alright. Whatever you have broken can be replaced. Please exit the room before you pass out from smoke inhalation, Misa, Ahiru."

Cheeks red with embarrassment, you followed Misa out into the main hallway, obeying L's instruction. "I'm sorry Misa…we couldn't make your cake for Light," you said sadly, looking down at the carpeted floor.

"It's Okay, Ahiru-chan. We can always try again-"

"And also…Misa and Ahiru are both prohibited from any culinary activities whilst living in this building," L's voice stated over the speaker.

You both sweatdropped. "I guess he heard us. Oh well…we can always buy a cake for Light?"

Misa nodded enthusiastically, trying to seem cheerful. Watari walked past you, armed with a fire extinguisher. You tried to apologise as he went past, but he held up a hand and said, "No need."

Your gaze traveled back to the carpet, and you wished you could just sink into it and forget everything. Your vision suddenly went blurry and you quickly excused yourself from a bemused Misa. Keeping a calm face, you walked straight to the rooftop, the only place you hadn't been able to find any of L's surveillance cameras. Stumbling out onto the roof, your shoes dragged over the coarse cement. Locating your usual place, you brought your arms around your knees and looked out over the brightly lit city. This was the place you normally came to think things over, the hustle and bustle of the city having a calming effect over you. The night shrouded you in darkness, the only light coming from the luminous white orb hanging in the sky. Resting your head on your arms, your mind began to drift. "Am I…a detriment to them? I've been back for a week now and I have yet to do something useful. Maybe…" you trailed off, unsure of whether you wanted to follow where your mind was taking you.

Shaking your head in annoyance, your vulnerable mind latched onto another thought. "Obaachan…why did you betray us? We weren't worth enough for you? Really…you killed three people in that fire…Mum, Dad…and me."

"You see yourself as dead?" asked a soft voice from the rooftop entrance, "How odd that our perceptions can be so opposing."

Your eyes narrowed as he invaded your private space and seated himself next to you.

"Light-kun suggested that I come and talk to you. I will try to assist you as much as I can, however, how much help-"

"Just…stop talking, Ryu-kun. I need some quiet…" you cut him off, giving him an apologetic glance.

He nodded in reply, joining you in looking out over the city. 'Why did he come? Is he worried over me? No…Light-kun sent him…but then why would Light-kun send the sweet-loving antisocial genius to come and **console **me?'

You noticed the clouds were slowly covering the moon, blocking out the main source of light and leaving the rooftop darker and colder.

"Say, Ryu-kun…why did you become a detective?" you asked, breaking the slightly expectant silence.

He looked over at you in surprise before replying, "I have reasons, none of which I am comfortable disclosing."

"Oh…I understand."

"What were your reasons?" he queried, his eyes scanning your face.

You met his gaze, startled that he was curious about you. "Its just…people need someone to protect them…"

"You work to protect people?"

You managed a half-hearted laugh at his response before carrying on, "Not everyone of course. Just the good people."

His dark eyebrows lowered. "You judge the good and bad?"

'Close to the reasoning I would have expected from Kira…'

"I…everyone has different eyes…bad people have bad eyes," you muttered, slightly surprised that you had answered him.

Your companion glanced at you, not having expected such an answer. Feeling embarrassed, you burst out, "Not like…they have bad eye sight or something! I mean…their eyes just scream out at me that this person isn't good…Ahh, I'm not very good at explaining it, just forget it."

"No, please go on, Ahiru-chan. I'm interested," he said, his dark eyes shining with curiosity.

You hesitated before continuing on, feeling extremely self-conscious. "They say a persons eyes are the windows to their soul. I really believe that. Even if you can't see everything about a person…you just get a feeling about them," you explained, hugging your knees tighter, waiting for a harsh remark.

He didn't reply, and you looked over to see him seriously contemplating your idea. "There was a time…where I wouldn't have considered that idea at all. There's no logic behind its existence…but these days, I find myself believing the strangest of things…so until I have evidence to disprove it, I believe you," he said, giving you the smallest of smiles.

Startled, you stared for a second before looking away, blushing slightly. 'There it is…that blush again. Maybe I should call for the doctor-"

"Arigato," you whispered, tilting your head forward to hide your face.

In your peripheral vision, you saw his perplexed gaze turn to you. Recognising his unspoken question, you said, "For believing me…you don't know how much that means to me."

Silence engulfed the two of you, and you began to feel drowsy. You could hear the thunder rolling in the distance, and you briefly registered that the wind was blowing stronger. Your eyelids fluttered closed just as he spoke. "If something should appear to happen to Watari and I, I will make sure that you may live here as we agreed."

Your eyes snapped open just as the first drops of rain began to fall. You openly stared at him, confused about what was going through his head. He met your eyes and both of you froze, the rain drenching you both. "W-what do you mean by that? Ryu-kun, you shouldn't just say things like that," you stuttered, laughing nervously.

"I…" he started, before changing his mind, "I think we should go inside. Your cold might return."

'What was he going to say? And why does he think that he's in danger? The only reason he'd be in danger is if Kira was in his presence…and Light-kun and Misa-chan don't feel bad…what is he thinking? Why won't he open up to me?!'

Feeling colder on the inside, you stood up, your hair covering your face. "I concur. I do not wish to be ill and impose upon you once again."

_You could feel the individual raindrops soaking into your already drenched shirt as you calmly walked away from him, leaving him staring after you, wishing he had the courage to tell you everything he needed to say._


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm going for a walk

"I'm going for a walk."

"It's raining," Light replied, looking up from his computer in surprise.

L continued staring at his computer screen, his nimble fingers traveling across the keyboard at an astonishing speed.

You pointedly gestured towards your large closed umbrella, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. "How long will you be?" Light asked, wondering why you were going walking when it hadn't stopped raining since last night.

"I'm not sure…could be a while, I want to clear my head a little. Just wanted to let you know," you said, giving Light a small smile.

He nodded and gave you one in return. You spared a small glance at the oblivious L before leaving the room. When you'd gone, Light turned to L and asked, "Why was she carrying a backpack?"

Stepping out onto the busy street, you made your way towards the bus station closest to L's building. The rain was growing heavier, battering your umbrella, and the ground was slicked in slippery water, making you slip and nearly fall. 'I guess I should wear shoes with more grip next time' you thought to yourself, wryly, recovering and continuing on.

You slowly wandered through the park, no immediate objectives on your mind other than to reach the bus station. 'What happened to the old me? The one that never needed anybody to get through, the one that didn't mind being alone…where did she go when I came here?'

Sighing at your solemn thoughts, you tried to think of a lighter topic. 'Well…at least Light isn't Kira anymore…that must be a load off Yagami-san. And now Light-kun is definitely working to catch Kira…I'm sure that Ryu-kun and Light-kun working together will catch him in no time, they don't need my help all the time. So it's alright that I'm taking a break…it'll only be for a few days, and the note I left should make sure they don't worry.'

You reached the center of the park, still lost in your thoughts. It was then you realised that there were no animal noises and no one else in the park. Whipping around on full alert, you scanned the area for anything suspicious. You could see nothing which could present a hazard to you, and you laughed anxiously at your own paranoia. 'I guess I'm just getting a little too cautious…'

You turned to continue walking when a coarse Hessian bag was roughly shoved over your head and your vision went black.

"Ryuuzaki-kun…it's been a week since she left for a holiday…and we still haven't heard from her," Light said, turning his dark eyes towards the detective.

"She never specified how long she'd be, Light-kun-"

"Her note said a few days at the most…it's already been a week," Light continued, feeling uneasy about the situation.

L looked over to his brown-haired companion, wondering what had him so worried. "Ahiru-chan is a very capable individual, I'm sure wherever she is, she's fine."

"If you don't have any business with me, release me," you hissed at your captor.

"Sorry, miss. Boss's orders," the burly man replied, standing outside the barred, window-less room in which you were being held.

"And who is your boss?" you queried, your arms sore from being constantly wrenched behind your back and tied to the chair.

"Can't say."

You looked down at your wretched form and wondered how it had come to this. 'Who is this mysterious boss character? And what does he want with me?'

Unbeknownst to you, you were about to find out.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the precious Ahiru-chan," taunted a deep voice from the metal door.

Your downcast eyes slowly moved over to the doorway, only to widen in surprise at the silhouetted figure. "You…"

Your mind was cast back over the months, back to the mission of rescuing the son of Mr. Yamamoto. The silver-haired man in the white suit grinned back at you.

"Yes, me. Weren't expecting me, were you?" he said.

"Kidnapping becoming a bit of a hobby of yours?" you snarled, baring your teeth at the man.

"Always the humorist. Watch your mouth, it will land you in more trouble," he spat, seizing your chin harshly and twisting your face to expose your neck.

"What do you want from me."

"What do I want?" he mused, stepping back to contemplate the idea, before leaning in menacingly, "I want revenge."

"For what?" you questioned.

"Hmmm…maybe for how you nearly caused the complete downfall of my business!" he yelled, his anger escalating.

"Oh, yeah!" you said, grinning, "That was a good night's work."

Black spots erupted across your vision, and the deep bruise forming on your cheekbone was evidence of the heavy blow you had just received from the enraged man. You gritted your teeth as the pain slowly faded. "Hurts, doesn't it? You should feel lucky that that's all I've done…as of yet…" he trailed off, his eyes glinting with malice.

You tried to hide your fear, but it was too much to veil and he read it in your narrowed eyes. He laughed at your feeble attempt and quickly spun on his heel before striding out of the room. The heavyset door creaked shut behind him, and you were left staring hatefully at the cold, hard metal.

"Ryuuzaki…it is no longer acceptable to overlook this issue. Ahiru has been missing for nearly a month with no contact. We must find her!" Yagami said, forcefully taking L by the shoulder.

"Yagami-san…please release me. I have been scouring the city surveillance network on the day that she left. I have discovered no trace of her; obviously, she does not want to be found-"

"Either that or someone doesn't want us to find her," Light interrupted, bringing a grave mood over the investigation headquarters.

Everyone exchanged anxious glances, before L spoke again, "I will look into the matter further. Is there a person who would volunteer to search-"

"Of course there is," Aizawa interrupted, "Every person in this room."

L's eyes widened slightly in surprise, watching silently as the police investigators all nodded their head in affirmation. The police and Light all turned to L, seeking the opinion of the man who was so focused on catching Kira it was more obsession than anything else.

L cast a quick, but thoughtful gaze over to your workbench. He looked up into the passionate eyes of the investigators before conceding, "Light-kun, Yagami-san and I will scan through the surveillance tapes. Aizawa-san and Matsuda, I wish for you to see if you can find anyone who may have held a personal grudge against Ahiru-chan. Please let me know if you find anything."

You looked up into the smirking face of the man you wished dead. "How does it feel, how does it feel to suffer this pain, A-hi-ru-chan" he goaded, sounding out the individual syllables of your name.

"Great, where do I sign up?" you said, gritting your teeth as he administered a harsh kick to your abdomen.

"I'm surprised, I would have thought your spirit broken by now."

"I'm not an ordinary person," you retorted, spitting out blood.

"Obviously. But I shall break you yet."

"Ryuuzaki, I've found something!" Light called out, bringing everyone's attention to his small computer screen.

"What is it, Light-kun?" L said, moving over to his computer.

"See this surveillance tape, look very closely at that gap in the trees. It's from the bank across the street from the park…I think I've found who took her."

The screen displayed a familiar figure being covered with a sack and then carried into a white van, before it was driven away. In a matter of seconds, L was bringing the video onto his own screen and zooming in for a closer look. "Yes, I agree, I am sure that is Ahiru-chan. Please be patient, I will track the vehicle through the city."

"Attend to the preparations, leave us, in her condition, she couldn't hurt a baby," a smug voice drifted through the door, addressing the man guarding your cell.

The door opened and the silver-haired man entered, a smirk planted across his face

"It seems that someone has finally realised you're missing and is on their way here. Don't worry; we'll have a nice welcoming party for them when they arrive," your captor laughed, watching your bemused expression turn into a quickly masked one of fear and terror.

"Don't you dare hurt them," you whispered, deathly cold.

"Oh really…would you give everything to keep them alive?" he asked, intrigued.

Your ingrained response was to instantly reply in the negative, however, the faces of the Kira investigators clouded your mind and it was all you could do to remain silent. He laughed at your stubborn behaviour, amused that he now had a hold over you. He leant down behind you, close to your ear. "How should I kill them? Painfully and drawn out…" he murmured, grinning as your calm reserve was breached and your fear seeped across your features, "Yes, maybe I'll even keep one alive just to make you watch as I kill them-"

He cut off, pausing to answer his ringing mobile. "Yes? What is it? Oh…that's interesting…2 vehicles…what's their position? Is everything set up? Yes, good."

You inhaled sharply, knowing that your rescuers were going to be ambushed upon arrival. Your captor hung up his phone and turned to face your fearful face, "Don't fret. I'll make sure you know exactly how we killed them."

You gathered your legs and lunged at the surprised man. Swiveling on one foot, you rammed him with the back of the wooden chair you were tied to, before pivoting once again and forcing your shoulder into his solar plexus. He doubled over in pain, and you brought your leg up to smash your knee into his skull and deliver a finishing blow. "NO! STOP! I'LL RELEASE YOU! SPARE ME!" he cried, all traces of superiority evaporated as he begged for your mercy.

You looked down at him in disgust, before bringing down your knee. "You used up all my pity, scum, when you threatened my friends."


	14. Chapter 14

He turned back to you, obviously impatracking your head on a heavy wooden table on the way down

He turned back to you, obviously impatracking your head on a heavy wooden table on the way down. Blacking out, the last thing you saw was Leonard's smiling face as he jammed the door closed with an iron bar, you twisted out of the loosened ropes and pilfered through his pockets, searching for a weapon. You came across a gun with a silencer (conveniently XDD) and quickly pocketed it, along with a set of keys to unlock any barred doors. 'It has begun…can I reach them before it's too late?'

Quickly glancing around the door to assure that the guard had indeed left to prepare for the ambush, you sprinted down the hall, cursing at the pain in your legs. 'After a month…I shouldn't be pushing myself so hard…but right now, I don't have a choice. I just have to hope that my body doesn't give out on me.'

Reaching the end of the plain gray corridor, you heard voices coming from the left pathway, before two people deeply engaged in conversation rounded the corner. "Yeah…the boss has been gone for a while. I wonder what he's doing in there," said the man in a deep voice, obviously another guard.

The guard's companion laughed, "What do you think he's doing in there?"

Panicked, you looked around, searching for a hasty hiding place. Seeing nothing around you, your gaze turned upwards in hope. "Should we check on him?" the first guard asked.

"Nuh, let's just walk past, knowing the boss he'll gut us if we interrupt his 'alone time'," grinned the second guard, turning the corner to walk past your cell room.

"Hey, is the door supposed to be open…OH SHIT! CALL LEONARD!"

"I AM, I AM!" the first guard shouted, punching numbers into his cell, "Hello? Mr. Leonard Sir? I'm afraid the prisoner nearly killed Boss and has escaped. Uhh…his condition? He's not moving…at all. The prisoner? I don't know, she could be anywhere by now…yes Sir, I will join the ambushers, right away! But…what about Boss? Huh…leave him? But….ok, ok, we're on our way!"

You watched from between the pipes on the ceiling, waiting for them to sprint off. Judging the area once again safe, you swung down from the pipes attached to the ceiling. Straight into two guards. At the last second, you used your momentum to your advantage and heftily kicked them both in the chest, sending them sprawling. One of them recovered faster and quickly reached for this phone, calling for assistance. Before the call could ring through you ran at him and bowled him over in his surprise. You both landed heavily and the phone spun out of his hand, skidding across the concrete floor to hit the opposite wall. Relieved, you administered a blow to render him temporarily unconscious and were about to stand when something cold was pressed to your back. You froze, realising that whilst you and the first guard were squabbling over the phone, the other guard had reached for his Glock 27 pistol. "Stand against the wall, keep your hands up," growled the second guard, pressing the gun menacingly into your spine.

Complying, you slowly moved over to the wall before turning around to face the man. 'What am I going to do? He obviously won't let me reach for my gun…unless I can distract him somehow.'

Acting out the part of the cornered victim, you raised your hands and stood with your back against the wall. Your eyes flickered over to the left down the hall, allowing your eyes to widen slightly before a small smile crossed your features. Seeing your expression, the guard quickly glanced down the hall to see…nothing. That one second was all you needed to draw your gun, and without hesitating you shot him just below the right kneecap. He dropped his gun and crouched down to cradle his bloody wound. Efficiently concealing the pistol the guard had dropped, you were about to give the guard a blow like the one you had given to his companion when he moaned and fainted, sprawled over the floor. You sweatdropped at the situation, 'I guess that works as well…'

Bending to pick up the phone you winced as your body protested. 'I mustn't be as able as I thought…I just have to avoid all the guards and get out of here as fast as possible so I can warn the others.'

Your eyes widened as you saw the call sign to a mobile saved as 'The Lady' on the cracked screen. "Oh shit, this can't be good!"

"Lady Montessa said that they were patrolling this corridor, so the escapee must be around here," yelled another deep voice, and as a horde of generic guards came into view, you stared like a deer in the headlights.

"There she is! Shoot her!" screeched the guard at the front.

Hearing his words, you dropped the broken phone and burst into action, sprinting the opposite way down the corridor. Turning this way and that, you lost all sense of direction, solely focused on losing the squad of guards herding after you. Turning to look behind you, you lost your footing and barraged into a large door at the end of a corridor. Your fall was broken by rich red carpet, and you laid there, slightly stunned, in the doorway. "Oh…you must be the escapee everyone's after! Don't worry, I'm a captive in this place as well, I'll hide you!" spoke a soft, light voice.

You opened your eyes to take in a massive bedchamber filled with expensive fabrics and valuable paintings; wide windows spanned the opposite wall. Sitting on the edge of a king size 4-poster bed was a delicate woman in a white dress. She looked a few years older than you and her features were warm and comforting. Climbing up off the floor, the woman quickly stood and closed the door behind you, ushering you further into the room. Recovering from the shock, you quickly asked her if she had a working phone. She shook her head and you felt slightly disappointed. "However, I can help you to escape," she said, making you look up in hope.

"You can? Please tell me quickly, I need to get to my friends," you implored, seizing her hands in excitement.

She smiled slightly at you, before leading you to a doorway. "Beyond that doorway lies another corridor, are you with me?"

You nodded your head when suddenly you felt weight from your belt disappear and soft laughter from behind you. "How you could be so naïve, Ahiru, I'll never understand. Accepting help from strangers, especially strangers like me, Lady Montessa, who want you dead!" giggled the woman you had believed was a fellow captive.

"Damn! I dropped my guard! It didn't even register that if she's a captive, why was her door unlocked?'

"I guess that just means I shouldn't trust anyone now, doesn't it," you spat, turning to face her slowly.

Her eyes were no longer soft and compelling, they had an almost maniacal quality to them and her smile had twisted into one of cool dominance. She had both guns pointed to your head at point blank range, making sure that you had nowhere to run. "I'm sure no one will mind if I just go ahead and shoot your head off," she said, her light voice contrasting with the dark words.

Your eyes narrowed as you considered your options, your back lightly pressed against the rough wood. She only laughed at you, "I can see that mind of yours trying to find a way out, but there's no escape this time, you've got no where left to run, no more doors left to open!"

Her words sparked a plan and in a split second you brought it into existence. In a few swift actions you brought your foot down on her unprotected toes, slapped the guns out of her hands, opened the door behind you, and sprinted down the unknown corridor, away from the surprised and shrieking Lady Montessa.

'Well this is just great, I don't know where to go, I've got no weapons and I don't even know if the ambush has already been initiated!'

"Keith Tombrolio, has been charged with drug smuggling internationally. It seems that men known to work under him were caught and charged with the kidnapping of a Japanese boy a few months ago. Japanese police confiscated 3 million worth of drugs at the sight," said Aizawa, reading out loud from a police profile.

The steady rumble of the moving van hummed beneath the investigators feet.

"Good work Aizawa-san, he seems to match the description," crackled a voice over the radio.

"Ryuuzaki, there are two more profiles that accompany his. One is a woman known as 'The Lady', the other is a man called 'Master Leonard'. I am concerned over Leonard as it appears that he was a former strategist for an army before being removed from service for supplying information to an enemy country," Aizawa said, flipping through the pages.

L bit on the end of his thumb, deep in thought. 'A strategist? This could get interesting…'

"Argh! This is impossible! How can I save them if I can't even navigate myself out of this building?!" you seethed, close to tearing your hair out in frustration.

'Okay, that's it! The next person I find is going to help me out of here no matter if they want to or not!'

Hearing voices to your left, your mind cleared immediately and you pressed yourself against the door to hear the conversation. Unfortunately for you, the door was partially open and you stumbled straight into a room full of guards. "Can we help you?" one of the guards asked, turning to stare at you.

"Heh…sorry, I guess I got the wrong room?" you lied, sweatdropping and rubbing the nape of your neck.

"Well, who are you after?" he asked, politely.

"Oh…Mr…Ramen! Yes…well, I'll just be leaving now. Nice to meet you, bye!" you finished, sprinting out of the doorway and back down the hallway.

"What a strange woman…wait…I don't remember a Mr. Ramen! And didn't she look like the escapee?!"

Hearing thundering feet on your trail, you increased your speed. Crying waterfalls, you blamed your bad luck. 'Why me??'

You panted heavily, your hands on your knees. "Man, they were hard to lose!" you murmured to yourself, before straightening up and surveying your current situation. Your serious face was at odds with the many brooms and buckets hanging around your person. Sighing in despair, you opened the door of the cleaner's closet, only to hear a pained shout. Peering around the door in interest you saw a mountain of a man rubbing his nose.

He towered over you, both wider and taller than you. His skin was tanned and he grew dark stubble across his jaw line, drawing attention away from his black piggy eyes. He caught sight of you and stared, obviously surprised. "You…you're face seems familiar. Say, aren't you that escapee that's been causing so many problems?"

"Uh…no?"

His eyes bored into yours, causing you to squirm in discomfort. He reached into his shirt, and you tensed to run, expecting him to pull out the standard issue gun. Much to your surprise, in his tight grasp was a small pair of glasses. He perched them on the bridge of his thick nose and looked down at you. "You…you lied to me!" he accused, looking slightly upset.

"Umm…I'm sorry?" you replied, completely thrown.

"Apology accepted. Now, since putting you out of commission would solve a lot of problems for me, please just stand still while I knock you out," he said, raising a hefty arm.

'Is he…for real?' you thought, nimbly dodging out of the way of the strong blow.

"Hey! I thought I told you to stand still!"

You sweatdropped, 'Apparently so…'

"Look, I'm sorry but I just don't have the time to waste on nameless bad guys," you said, ducking out of the way of a sideswipe.

"Nameless?!" the behemoth bellowed, "How dare you?! I am the great Master Leonard!"

'Leonard…the brilliant mind that I've been hearing about? Well…I guess I was wrong…but that makes this fight a lot more worthwhile, if I can defeat him, I can get him to stop the ambush.'

Resolve coursing through your body, you looked up at the angered strategist. 'This is in no way…going to be easy…'


	15. Chapter 15

You hit the wall hard, all the impact taken by your left elbow

You hit the wall hard, all the impact taken by your left elbow. You screamed in pain, clutching at your damaged limb. Your opponent, the formidable Leonard, chuckled in amusement, watching patiently as you shook your arm and clenched your fist to regain the feeling. "I'm not going down without a fight!" you promised, staring up at the strategist.

"Wouldn't be entertaining if you did," he replied, a large grin plastered across his face.

You scowled and tried to look unfazed, however, on the inside you were dead scared by this man and his enormous strength. 'Fully rested I just might have been able to beat this guy, but right now, in this state…I'm living on borrowed time' you thought, barely dodging a series of quick punches.

"It's only a matter of time before you slip up, and then girly, you had best be praying I don't accidentally kill you," Leonard sneered, swinging another heavy fist your way.

You sidestepped before realising you hadn't moved far enough, and the blow caught you in the ribs, causing you to crouch down and grasp your side. Closing one eye in pain, your gritted your teeth and stood, arms swaying uselessly. "What? Had enough already, girly?" he smirked, tilting his head slightly as he regarded your bruised form.

"Why? Do you need a break?" you retorted, slapping your signature grin across your pained features.

Roaring in anger, he raised another meaty fist and pitched it directly at your head. You threw yourself to the side just in time, and as he overbalanced from the momentum, you took your chance. Spinning your legs underneath you, you kicked his hefty knees with all the force you could muster. As he instinctively knelt to cradle his cracked kneecaps, you swung your foot up and scored a direct hit on his already sore nose. He stumbled back with a yelp, hands to his crushed and bleeding nose. His piggy eyes centered back on you, and wiping the blood away, he advanced once again. Your previous attacks had all but drained you, and it was nearly more than you could take to actually stand and oppose him. His charge rammed you against the wall, and you felt your lungs protest under his immense weight. Your eyes widened in fear at your vulnerable position, and as he raised a fist, you winced and waited. 'This is it? This is how it's going to end? But who will take care of the foundation? Oh wait…L would…so I guess my death won't actually matter to anyone…'

A dark-haired detective rose from your preconscious memories and you shook away the thought. 'No…and even if he did care, he'd never show it…'

You watched the fist move in slow motion towards your head, before closing your eyes in frightened anticipation.

A shrill tone stopped his punch half way and he cursed before reaching for his phone. "What is it? I'm in the middle of something…oh…oh, really? It has started, has it? 1 Vehicle? You sure? I didn't think they'd be that stupid…yes, I'm coming now, don't start anything until I'm there!"

He turned back to you, obviously impatient to leave. "Guess I don't have any more time to play, so I'll just put you out of the way until I can deal with you properly."

Taking your arm, he roughly dragged you over to a dark, windowless room and threw you in. You landed heavily on the floor, cracking your head on a heavy wooden table on the way down. Blacking out, the last thing you saw was Leonard's smiling face as he jammed the door closed with an iron pipe.

"Aizawa-san, I need you to search the lower floors starting from the north stairwell and progressing through to the southern elevator. Matsuda-kun please follow the same pattern as Aizawa-san on the ground floor and the first floor. I have contacted the police and alerted them to the location and Yagami-san, I would like you to direct the police as I tell you through the earpiece."

Each investigator affirmed their understanding as their roles were set out, Aizawa and Matsuda slowly climbing into the empty space hidden under the flooring. "Ryuuzaki, what are we to do if we encounter hostile units?" Aizawa asked, struggling to pull all his limbs inside the small compartment.

"Please avoid conflict at all costs, this is a reconnaissance mission, however, if it seems inevitable, finish it as quickly as possible and progress. Our number one mission is the safe retrieval of Ahiru-chan," L answered, his voice sounding low and grave in the earpieces.

"Ok," Aizawa said, nodding his head at Yagami before sliding the flooring back over himself and Matsuda.

"Yagami-san, aim for the western side, the entrance there will break easily and Matsuda-kun and Aizawa-san will have the most cover there," L advised, speaking slowly as his mind raced at an incredible speed, trying to consider all the possible outcomes.

"Understood, Ryuuzaki. I'm 200 meters from the entrance; I will bail at approximately 100 meters," Yagami said, his face set with determination.

"Good luck, Yagami-san."

The white van flew down the deserted street, engine roaring and blinding lights flashing erratically. "There!" shouted a man and shells erupted upon the metal vehicle.

A dark flash emerged from the open sliding door before disappearing behind a corrugated iron fence. The van continued on, unabashed. "Stop it!! It's going to crash right into the building!" shouted another man, realising that no one was driving the speeding van.

The shots ceased as guards ran to escape the van as it careered straight into the building, shattering glass and smashing through the wall at a high velocity. "Quick! Check the van!" ordered Leonard, watching the scene from a monitor in the control room.

Reluctant to enter, a guard smaller than the others was roughly shoved inside to investigate. After a short inspection, he exhaled in relief and turned to the others to signal that it was empty. "Secure the perimeter! Make sure that no one else gets in!" shouted Leonard, losing interest in the discarded van.

The guards rushed to comply, running back to their allocated positions. Just then, flashing lights spun around the corner of the building, and countless police cars arrived at the scene. "Dammit! We've been discovered! Hold your ground, men! We're going to have an old fashioned shoot out!" cursed Leonard, trying to count the number of police cars blocking the road.

"Chief?" asked a tall man in a suit, holding a gun loosely as he shielded himself behind his open police car door.

"Yes, we have a plan. Will you listen?" Yagami said, speaking from his place behind the iron fence.

The man nodded and threw a communicator to him. "Okay, this is Yagami Souchirou. I want you all to listen as I lay out the plan…"

Matsuda shuffled uncomfortably beneath the van's floorboards. "Do you think it's safe yet?"

Aizawa hesitated, listening for any unusual noises. Hearing none, he turned to Matsuda in the darkness. "Yes, I think it's safe. Let's go."

Shoving the floorboards away, Matsuda and Aizawa nodded to each other before running in different directions, guns held tightly in their perspiring hands.

Matsuda climbed the stairs and quickly searched every room on the first floor. A few times he had to dive into unlocked rooms as a few guards sprinted past, shouting something about the building being surrounded. Finding no trace of you on this floor, he took the southern elevator back down to the ground floor. He had found no trace of you on the ground floor either and was about to notify L when he noticed a door barred with an iron pipe. 'That's definitely worth having a look at,' he thought, sneaking a glance into the room.

At first, he didn't see anything noteworthy in the room. However, something told him to look again, and this time, he noticed a dark shape huddled on the floor. His eyes widened as he recognised your blonde hair, and he yanked the pipe from its place before bursting into the room and crouching by your side. "Ahiru!" he whispered hoarsely, shaking you gently by the shoulders.

On your journey back to consciousness, you registered warm hands on your shoulders before the pain from the fall exploded throughout your skull. Your head went straight to your hands in agony and on the way you nearly head butted Matsuda. Your vision was dark and the throbbing from the top of your cranium overwhelmed the sound of the investigator calling your name frantically. After a few minutes of suffering, the pain shrank to a bearable level. You turned to face the shouting investigator, eyes wide in surprise. "Matsuda?" you asked, before the situation registered and you threw yourself on him, "Close your mouth! You don't know who's around!"

"Matsuda-kun! Have you found Ahiru-chan?" called L's voice, sounding slightly anxious.

He tried to reply in the affirmative only for it to be muffled by your hand. "Matsuda-kun?" L asked, confused.

You removed your hand and moved it to your mouth with an extended pointer finger to make sure that he talked quickly and quietly. He nodded before replying to L, "Yes, I've found her on the ground floor. She was unconscious but I revived her and she seems be alright."

He then muttered, "Alright enough to completely wind me by jumping on me…"

"What was that?" asked L, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Uh…he said that we're on our way out now!" you jumped in; making sure Matsuda couldn't say anything else.

You two crept out of the room and back down the corridor, heading for the exit and freedom.

You could feel the fresh air on your face as you reached the entrance of the building; blinking from the bright sunlight you hadn't seen for a month. The entrance was a battlefield; bodies of both police and guards littered the grounds, staining the cement crimson. You completely ignored it and took one step into the sunlight and breathed in deeply, reveling in the simple joy of being alive. Suddenly, a cry of pain burst out of the communicators followed by L's quick commands. "Everyone, check your situation. We need to locate all investigators. Matsuda-kun, Ahiru-chan, Yagami-san, Aizawa-san, please confirm."

"I am leading the police to pursue the last of the attackers," came Yagami's deep voice, sounding shaken with worry.

"Matsuda and Ahiru here, we're coming out of the building…wait, AHIRU! Where are you going?"

In the distance, L could make out your faint voice. "I'm going to save Aizawa-san, of course! I'm not going to lose him to save myself! What about you, what happened to we're all in this together?!"

Matsuda stared after you in shock before running after you back into the building. "I'm sorry, Ryuuzaki, but Ahiru is right. I'm not going to leave Aizawa."

You sprinted back through the entrance, adrenaline overpowering the throbbing of your wounded limbs and damaged head. Matsuda ran right behind you, a grim line in place of his trademark smile. Gunshots evaded your eardrums and you shot off in that direction, impatient to aid your possibly injured friend. You misjudged the distance and ran through a doorway only to find yourself in the middle of the battle. Behind an upturned table was Aizawa, propped against the dented metal. On the other side of his cover was a group of guards and also the strategist, Leonard, who were releasing rounds after round at Aizawa in the hopes of finishing him. "Aizawa-san!" you managed, before diving next to him, bullets renting the air you had vacated.

A similarly stunned Matsuda appeared in the doorway a second after, and his faced paled at the sight. "Matsuda! Hide!" you screamed, aware that he was practically a second from death.

He leapt over to a toppled bookshelf and laid on his stomach behind it, shielding his head with his arms. You turned quickly back to Aizawa, trying to form a plan to escape. It was then you noticed the blood slowly seeping out under his suit jacket. You seized the collar and pulled it open, gasping in the progress. "Aizawa-san! We need to leave. NOW!"

"No, Ahiru-chan…leave me here…I'll fend them off whilst you make a run for it," Aizawa replied, shaking his head.

Your eyes narrowed. Too much pain had been inflicted on you to lose another friend. "You're coming and that's final. Don't you dare try and play the hero," you hissed, your eyes lethal.

Scanning around, you realised that the thing that you had mistaken for a bookshelf was actually a weapons cabinet. "Matsuda! What's in that cabinet?" you practically shouted over the noise.

His terrified eyes peered over the top into the cabinet before ducking back down and turning to you, "A few guns. Some smoke bombs-"

You stopped listening as your plan crystallized. "Matsuda, throw a smoke bomb at them, we'll escape under the cover."

He nodded in understanding, and as you threw anything you could at the guards to distract them, he reached inside and pulled out a smoke bomb. He reached inside his jacket and set fire to the bomb with his lighter before throwing it at the bemused attackers. The effect was instantaneous and gray smoke spread around the room. "Matsuda, take him! I'll cover you!" you shouted, pulling a gun from the cabinet before following the men out in the hall.

Matsuda was half-dragging Aizawa in his desperation to escape with his life. Aizawa was panting heavily, his body under massive stress from his stomach wound. You brought up the rear; ready to shoot anything that posed a threat to your trio. After what seemed like hours of nervous running, you reached the entrance. Making your way through the bodies, you finally relaxed your guard and turned to help Aizawa to the waiting van driven by Watari. Light and L were standing outside the vehicle, watching your exhausted trio stumble over.

A flash of movement from a dying guard caught L's eye a second too late. The man was lying on the cold ground, close to breathing his last breath from a massive wound next to his heart. He raised his gun, wanting to take something or someone with him to the next world. His aim focused on a blonde-haired detective and as his vision faded to black and his heart stopped, he pulled the trigger.

_L saw you fall in slow motion, your mouth opening in shock. Matsuda heard the noise and turned to see your lifeless body sprawled on the ground. He shouted your name, not wanting to believe his eyes. Aizawa turned as well, his mouth gaping open as he took in your fallen form. Light's eyes burned into you, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief. "AHIRU-CHAN!" cried Matsuda's strained voice carried over the motionless investigators, "AHIRU-CHAN!!"_


	16. Chapter 16

Pushing yourself onto your elbows, you wondered why people were screaming when your legs had given out and you had fallen

Pushing yourself onto your elbows, you wondered why people were screaming when your legs had given out and you had fallen. Looking up, you saw everyone's fearful faces and felt surprised. 'What? Haven't these people ever seen someone trip before?'

Struggling back to your feet, you looked around in confusion at their shocked faces. "What? Give me a break, I'm exhausted! You can't expect me to indestructible," you grumbled, striding past a gaping Matsuda and Aizawa.

Reaching the van, you grinned first at stunned Light and then looked to an expressionless L. "Thanks, you know. I didn't think you'd come," you admitted, your voice showing your sincerity.

"Actually, I wasn't-" L began before being interrupted by a nervous laugh.

"Of course we came. As soon as we realised you were missing, we started searching right away," cut in Light, giving L a warning glance.

You noticed the look and pondered over it for a second, thinking back to what L had said before being interrupted. It clicked and you stared at L, anger pulsing from you. Noticing a sudden change in atmosphere, L looked back to you. "Yes, we searched through the surveillance tapes from the day you left," he explained, frowning at the look on your face, "Is something wrong?"

'So he didn't care after all, he had to be convinced to even check what had happened… it's the last time I mistake you for my friend, L.'

Your laugh sounded odd and warped to even your ears and you glared at L, "No. Everything is perfect."

Retrieving Yagami on the way, you sat in silence for the entire journey back to the hotel. Matsuda constantly chattered about how he had heroically outsmarted the strategist and escaped unharmed with his injured comrade. Aizawa had been sent to the hospital from his injury, and you were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't even mind his blatant twist in the details of the operation. 'So I'm finally free again…after a month of living in such a dark, silent room with only the occasional visits by the silver-haired man.'

You grinned suddenly, thinking back to before you had left. "No! I didn't do anything! I've been set up! You have to believe me!" he had screeched, struggling as the police shoved him into the back of the police van.

Leonard had walked behind him quietly, resigned to his fate. Montessa had acted nearly the same as her master, shrieking for her lawyer.

'Well I guess they got what they deserved…but who knows how long they'll be sentenced…they could be back into dealing within months. But…if they ever try anything again…I'll be waiting.'

"AHHIIRRUU-CCHHAANN!!" cried a voice as you stepped into the main headquarters.

You looked up in time to see a blonde ball of energy flying towards you. "Mi-sa?" you asked, before being tackled to the ground.

Gritting your teeth to withhold from crying out, you waited for her to release you. "Ahiru-chan! Misa hasn't seen you in so long! Where have you been? I've been stuck with all these grumpy old men!" she said, poking her tongue out at Yagami.

Matsuda pointed at himself, sweatdropping, "I'm not really that old, Misa-Misa."

The other investigators rolled their eyes and walked past Matsuda, into the main room. Misa eventually let go of you and ran to clutch onto Light. "Light-kun, Misa felt so alone with you gone. You shouldn't leave me all by myself," she crooned, playing with his hair.

Light glanced up from his seat in front of the computer, and said, "Please not now, Misa."

Moving into the main room, everyone turned and looked at you. You stared around nervously, wondering what they were looking at. "Ahiru-chan, it's good to have you back," nodded Yagami, his smile partly concealed by his moustache.

"Yes, it was dull without you here," Matsuda added, pulling you into a loose hug.

"I'm sure Aizawa-san feels the same way," L said, his eyes narrowed at the hug you were sharing with Matsuda.

'Oh, so Aizawa-san cares, but you don't? Way to completely hide your own feelings.'

"We're all glad you're back safely, Ahiru-chan," Light said, his eyes glued on the frowning L.

"Well, it's great to be back again. Now, if no one objects I'd like to retire to my room," you said, a massive smile brightening your face.

Everyone nodded and you turned and left the room. As soon as you passed the doorway, your smile turned into a deep frown. 'Why does Light-kun need to keep covering for him? Why does he need covering for at all? What happened to him whilst I've been away…?'

One week after you had been recovered, the investigators had retired for the night and L and Light were working on the main room. The usually comfortable silence seemed to press down upon the brown-haired genius. The normally placid Light turned to L; his face holding barely concealed irritation. "Why have you treated Ahiru-chan so poorly since she's returned?" he queried, preventing a frown from darkening his features.

"How do you mean?" L countered, not looking up at his companion.

"You've barely said a word to each other and when you need something from her, you get someone else to ask her for you. What happened that has made it this way?" Light said, disclosing his observations over the past few days.

L sighed, closing his eyes in surrender. Turning his tired blue eyes to meet the accusing brown ones to his right, he said, "I apologise but I do not feel comfortable discussing such personal information at this time."

"Will you ever feel comfortable, Ryuuzaki?" Light shot back, his eyes glinting.

Unable to take Light's intense glare, the detective looked down at his knees in contemplation. 'I wish I could tell you, Light-kun, but I don't even know myself…'

You walked into the main room, greeting everyone and nodding in L's direction. The look he gave you seemed to carry traces of sadness before he turned back to his computer. The hair at the back of your neck rose, and you looked over to see Light's contemplative eyes resting on you. Raising your eyebrows at him, you strode over to your workstation and sat down, picking up a screwdriver. You felt frustrated and it was showing through your work, nothing was cooperating with you. "Fine, dammit! Be like that! I'm going to my room!" you shouted, annoyed at everything around you.

Stalking out of the room, you left a confused silence in your wake. "What was that about?" Matsuda asked, his ignorance blatant.

Light exchanged glances with Aizawa and his father; silently asking which of them was going to go talk to you. Both Light and Aizawa nodded at Yagami seeing as he was the most logical choice with the circumstances (Well, Light's chained to L, and Aizawa got you know…shot). Yagami nodded in understanding, and quickly made his way to your room.

"What is so wrong with me? Why does it matter that I lost one of the only friends I have…no…he was never my friend from the beginning…he didn't care when I was kidnapped…so why should I care about him now?" you questioned, your thoughts running in circles.

A quick knock on your door surfaced you from your inner turmoil, and you called a soft, "Come in."

Yagami opened the door slowly, his expression betraying traces of concern. "Yes?" you asked, staring up at him from your bed.

"Are you feeling alright, Ahiru-chan?" he said, closing the door quietly behind him.

You nodded, "Not alright, but alive."

"I believe everyone's noticed," Yagami commented, smiling wryly at you from across the room.

Laughing bitterly, you looked over at him, finally letting all of your hurt show through your eyes. His mouth became a grim line and his brows furrowed. "You misunderstood," he said, looking directly at you.

"Misunderstood what?" you asked, feeling slightly apprehensive.

"Ryuuzaki…he tried harder than all of us to find you…"

Your eyes widened in confusion and you stammered, "But…he didn't say anything and then it sounded like he didn't care at all!"

Yagami frowned at this, equally confused by the situation. "I'm not sure why Ryuuzaki portrayed that as correct, but he was the one who was searching for you through the tapes, and then he was the one who organised the rescue and safely recovered you."

At this new information, you jumped to your feet. Your inner turmoil from before now nearly drowned you with its screaming. 'Why Ryu-kun! You made me hate you! Why didn't you tell me!'

"Please excuse me, Yagami-san," you said, calmly, walking slowly from the room.

He nodded at you, and as you left the room he smiled to himself.

"Ryuuzaki-san, I must speak with you," you said, your voice apathetic and dull.

He looked up from his computer, his face unreadable. Looking into his eyes, however, you saw something like confusion and possibly fearful anticipation, as though he was expecting something. "What is it, Ahiru-chan?" he asked, the tone of his voice matching yours.

"I request a session in private," you prompted, glancing pointedly at the other investigators.

He nodded slowly, almost hesitantly, and he stood up, pulling a bewildered Light by the chain connecting them. He walked past you into the hall, deciding the best place to talk away from prying eyes. Light's eyebrows rose, silently asking what the problem was. You replied by shaking your head slowly and following L down the hall. "In here," L gestured, opening a door. "Light-kun, please wait here. I shall be by the door and there is surveillance cameras operating so I can monitor your actions."

Light nodded in understanding, and you entered the room, apprehensively. L waited patiently by the door, seemingly unwilling to start the conversation. After an awkward silence, he began, "Is there something troubling you?"

Deciding that you no longer wanted to be alone with the detective with the heartbreakingly sad expression, you took it straight to the point, "You."

He looked partially surprised by your forwardness but recovered quickly. "What about me is troubling to you, Ahiru-chan?"

"Why did you make me think that you didn't care about my retrieval?" you said, barely managing to force the words out.

His gaze dropped and his body language looked ashamed. "I apologise. Emotions seemed to get the better of me and have done so since. I will try harder to cover them in future-"

"Emotions? Which?" you interrupted, feeling that he was trying to twist the issue away from what he was avoiding.

L looked up again, his eyes searching yours. "I…do not feel comfortable-"

You interrupted again, growing irritated by his manipulation of words. "If you can't tell me, you can't tell anyone."

His eyes turned cloudy, debating over whether to disclose such personal information. "Why did you greet Matsuda in such a way when we recovered you?" he finally asked, keeping his face impassive.

Confused by the question, you answered, "He was being loud and it was a dangerous position. I had to stop him from talking, and when we returned to the base, it is only natural to greet a friend in this way."

'Why did he ask me something like that…wait…is this what this is all about? Did he mistake it for something different?'

"Ryuuzaki-san! I am abhorred by your lack of expertise in handling this matter!" you burst out, causing Light to jump outside the door.

L's eyes widened before his shoulders slumped and he averted his eyes. "I…apologise again, Ahiru-chan. I have seemed to entirely misunderstand the situation. I understand if no longer wish to reside here…"

In a few quick steps, your arms were around him, holding him in a warm embrace. "Apology accepted…and I'm not planning on going anywhere just yet," you said, smiling into his shirt.

Unbeknownst to you, as L's arms reached up to pull you to himself, his expression of surprise turned into a small smile of joy.


	17. Chapter 17

"Matsuda

"Matsuda?" you asked, jumping backwards to dodge the frantic investigator.

"Sorry, can't talk. Got a call that my mum fell down a flight of stairs and she's in intensive care at the hospital…" Matsuda shouted, not slowing down on his way to the front entrance.

Staring down the corridor in surprise, your resolve hardened and you sprinted after him.

Matsuda tried to pull the door closed as he spoke to the taxi driver, "Tokyo Hospital, please."

Realising he hadn't managed to succeed in closing the door, he looked to his left to see you holding on to the handle, a look of defiance on your face.

"Ahiru-chan?" Matsuda gaped in shock, loosening his grip on the door.

Wrenching it open in victory, you waited for him to move before seating yourself next to him in the cab. "What are you doing?" he asked, clearly confused.

"I'm going with you, of course," you said, your tone saying that it was obvious exactly what you were doing.

"Oh…" he said, looking down at the floor, "Why?"

"Everyone needs a shoulder sometimes," you said, feeling embarrassed as you gave him a small smile.

He returned the smile before turning to stare out the window, his expression seeming lost.

"We're here," broke in the taxi driver, staring at the two of you in the rear-vision mirror.

Breaking out of his trance, Matsuda paid the driver and walked into the hospital. You followed him, feeling slightly apprehensive. After he talked to the nurse at the front reception, you followed him into the lift and then to the door with the number 311 engraved on a plaque. He turned the doorknob and pushed on inside, his jaws clenched together. You followed him in, nearly gasping at the white-haired ghost lying on the bed. "Mum?" Matsuda croaked out, moving to his mother's side.

The ghost turned her head and blinked at Matsuda, appearing to not recognise her son. After a tense pause, a quiet whisper. "Ma-tsu-da?"

He looked up, his eyes hopeful. "Yeah, Mum, it's me. I came as soon as I got the call from the hospital…"

"You were always a good boy…and you've brought your girlfriend with you as well. It's so nice to meet you, dear. I'm sorry we couldn't meet in better circumstances…"

"Uh, actually-" Matsuda began, his voice nervous.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Touta," you cut in, bowing in respect.

She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling slightly. A nurse bustled into the room, efficiently checking the IV and the heart monitor before speaking lightly to Matsuda's mother. The nurse then turned to the two of you and said, "It's actually time for Mrs. Touta's check up with the doctor. I'm afraid there seems to be…problems…"

"Problems? What kind of problems?" Matsuda demanded, stepping closer to the nurse.

You placed a hand on his arm, and he turned away from you, ashamed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…"

"It's ok, we can understand how you must feel," you said, before glancing at the nurse, "Can you please tell us what these complications are?"

The nurse nodded, wary eyes on Matsuda, "We will monitor her for a few days and then we can tell you what we have found."

The nurse helped Mrs. Touta into a wheelchair and then wheeled her out of the room, leaving the both of you to exchange uneasy glances.

"But Ryu-kun! You could save her!" you pleaded, unable to believe that the genius would not help Matsuda's mother.

"What would you have me do, Ahiru-chan? Call in the world's experts in medicine? I do not permit it. And neither do I permit you to do so, either," the investigator said, typing on his keyboard.

You stood in shock. You were certain that L would understand the situation and be willing to assist the people who gave their entire being to his cause. "It is an inefficient use of resources," he finished, declaring the matter at an end.

Mouth agape, you stormed off, irritated to no end by the logical thinker. "I don't think you should have said that, Ryuuzaki," Light reprimanded, steady eyes on his companion.

"She doesn't understand my position, Light-kun," L defended, placing a lollipop in his mouth.

"Is that so?" Light said, his blank eyes focused on his screen. 'Maybe you're the one who doesn't understand.'

"We have good news for you, Mr. Touta, Ms. Ahiru. Your mother has responded well to the treatment and she is well enough to return home, under supervision of course. A nurse shall be assisting her until she has recovered enough to get by alone. She is waiting for you in reception," the nurse informed, smiling as she delivered the news.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Matsuda said, completely overjoyed.

The both of you practically ran down to meet her. Over the past week, you had grown so attached to her, and thought of her as your adopted mother. As you reached her, she turned around and her face glowed with happiness. "Matsuda! Ahiru! Are you taking me home now?"

"Yes, Mum, you're alright now," Matsuda cried out, wrapping his arms around her frail form and twirling her around.

As he released her, you jumped in and threw your arms around her in joy. "Mama Touta! I'm so glad you've recovered!"

Her eyes twinkled as she replied, "Just anyone try and take me from my crazy son and my new daughter."

Those words meant more to you than anything in the world and you hugged her again, feeling your eyes prickle with tears.

"Bye bye!" you called over your shoulder, walking towards the waiting taxi with Matsuda.

"Bye dears! Come visit me again soon!" Mrs. Touta called back, waving from her place on the balcony attached to her comfortable unit.

"We'll come back tomorrow, Mum!" Matsuda shouted, climbing into the taxi.

"I'll cook a nice dinner for you both!"

"I'm so glad that your mum is better, Matsuda-kun," you said, smiling widely.

"Yeah, she's the best mother I could ever ask for," Matsuda replied, "When I was a kid, she used to bake cakes for my friends and I, and then when my dad left us, she would tell me that we were going to be ok and nothing could tear us apart…"

You nodded in understanding, feeling sympathetic towards your troubled friend.

"Hey, Ahiru-chan. Why don't you ever talk about your parents? Where do they live?"

A blanket was suddenly cast over your emotions and you turned to stare at your feet. "My parents died when I was small actually, Matsuda-kun," you admitted, jumping in as he opened his mouth, "No need to apologise. It was an accident, right?"

Matsuda closed his mouth and nodded, mutual understanding forming between you.

Desperate knocking flooded your groggy senses. "Huh? Who is it?" you croaked, rubbing your eyes as you sat up.

"It's Matsuda, you have to come quickly!" his voice carried through the door.

Eyes drifting over to the alarm, you frowned. "But it's 4am, Matsuda-kun, what could be so important?"

"It's my mother…"

Your brain cleared completely, and you held your breath as he finished his sentence. "She's had another heart attack."

Quickly paying the taxi driver, you sprinted into the hospital reception, dressing gowns billowing out behind you as your slippers skidded over the smooth tiles. "Where is she?" Matsuda demanded, his eyes wide with fear.

The doctor answered you, avoiding your penetrating stares, "I'm afraid that we have not been able to stabilise your mother's condition…this is no longer a heart attack, but has developed into ventricular fibrillation…I'm sorry, but we cannot save her…make your time with her now."

You stepped into the room, feeling the heavy atmosphere press down upon your shoulders. Swallowing, you walked up to the bed, afraid to look into her face for what you might see. A hand rose off the bed, and you took it, noticing how bright the veins appeared under the almost translucent skin. "Mum?" Matsuda asked, his voice cracking under the strain.

"Matsuda…Ahiru…you came to see me off one last time?" she said, her voice sounding dry.

"See you off? You're not going anywhere, Mum," Matsuda cried, taking her other hand.

Pained chuckles reached your ears, and you found it hard to withhold the tears. "I'm sorry, but it seems like something is finally going to take me away from you," she said, tightening her grip on your hands.

"No, Mum, you can't leave me!" Matsuda pleaded.

The proud mother smiled up at her son, glad that she had raised such a fine person. She then turned her eyes to the watery-eyed woman on her left. "Ahiru-chan?"

Finally, you looked into her face. Behind the tubes and the stretched white skin, you could still see the mother you had grown to love. "Yes, Mama?" you croaked, barely managing to keep your voice level.

"I knew from the beginning that you weren't in love with Matsuda. Allow an old woman her fun. I can see that you are in love with someone else. I must tell you…a man has been visiting me since I was admitted, he has been keeping me company when I've been alone. He has told me so much about you, and I can tell…he is in love too."

Shock shot up your spine, causing your eyes to widen. "What? Who?"

She only smiled up at you, her eyes telling you that this was something you had to figure out by yourself. "I'm afraid I've stayed too long…I have to leave you both now…"

"No, Mum! You have to stay with us!" Matsuda begged, tears dripping down his pale cheeks.

The heart monitor began to show erratic waves and you called for a doctor. "Don't worry about me, dears, you're strong people…you'll be alright…"

Your tears cascaded down, and you hugged her hand close to you, sorrow almost overwhelming you. "Don't leave us, Mama…don't go, we still need you…I still need you…"

Her hand clenched tightly around yours one more time before going slack, cold and lifeless inside your warm grip.

"Mother!" Matsuda shouted, acutely aware that he had just lost his most precious person.

_A shadow stood in the doorway, watching silently as you wept over the body of your departed loved one. _


	18. Chapter 18

You stood up from your chair in the funeral hall, walking slowly towards the altar where Mrs

You stood up from your chair in the funeral hall, walking slowly towards the altar where Mrs. Touta lay. The incense irritated your already watery eyes, and as you reached the altar, the tears threatened to overwhelm you. You stood to attention, placed your hands together and then bowed deeply to show your respect for the deceased. Taking a pinch of incense, you brought it to your forehead before releasing it into the smouldering urn. Your head dropped, the memories weighing you down. You stood again at attention before bowing, bringing your head up to reconfirm her death. Her name was scribed onto the wooden tablet, and you found no way to deny the truth. 'Thank you, Mrs. Touta…you'll never know how happy I am to have known you these past few days…' Turning, you walked slowly back to your seat in the 2nd row, directly behind Matsuda. Matsuda, dressed all in black, looked more somber and serious than you had ever seen him. Feeling sympathy for your pained friend, you lightly placed your hand on his stiff shoulder. Half turning his head, he nodded to show that he was okay. Your joined hands fell to your lap, clenched tightly to take your mind off the lifeless body on the altar. The entire hall rose in their seats, standing solemnly as Mrs. Touta's coffin was carried to the waiting hearse. '…Farewell, Mum.'

"Are you alright, Ahiru-chan?" Aizawa asked, watching you with concern as you entered the main room.

Looking up in surprise, you replied, "If anyone is worried, it should be for Matsuda."

"Matsuda is a trained professional. As a police officer, he was aware that it was likely that he would lose people close to him over the course of his career-" Aizawa said, exchanging a glance with Yagami.

"Oh, and that makes it okay? Because he was told to expect it? I thought you at least would try and understand how he must be feeling," you burst out, feeling betrayed by your trusted friends.

You glared around at the investigators, watching their shocked faces. Across the room, your eyes locked with L's. His steady gaze held your furious expression, his feelings completely hidden behind his emotionless eyes. You blinked and averted your eyes, feeling invaded. "I…apologise. I should not have said those things. Please forgive me," you said to the investigators, bowing deeply.

Feeling a hand on your shoulder, you looked up to see the smiling face of Light's father. "There is no need to say sorry, Ahiru-chan. We should be the ones apologising for disregarding your feelings."

You straightened up, a tiny smile lightening your features. "Thank you, Yagami-san, Aizawa-san."

A hand pulled you back as you tried to walk through the doorway to your room. "Ryu-kun? I-"

"No. It's Matsuda," corrected the investigator, giving you a crooked smile.

"Oh," you said, surprise sparking through you as you realised that your voice was tinged with disappointment.

The smile slid off his face, and he took his hand off your shoulder. Immediately feeling guilty, you smiled brightly at him, hoping to reverse the damage. "It's just I wanted to ask you a question."

Your eyes widened, your mind racing a mile a minute. 'I, what? A question?'

"A question about what?" you asked, blinking in confusion.

"I wanted to ask-"

"Ahiru-chan, please come to the investigative headquarters. Now," a voice interrupted over the speakers.

You nearly stomped your foot in irritation. "He always does this to me! What's so important that I need to come at this exact moment?!"

Matsuda grinned anxiously and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I could always ask you later…"

"Yeah, sure," you grumbled, stomping away towards the main room.

"Yes, oh great master?"

He looked at you incredulously, raising an eyebrow at your greeting. You heard a stifled chuckle to L's right and you glared as Light covered his mouth to hide his smile. "Quite. Yes, well Ahiru-chan, I wanted to ask you about your progress on the computer," L said, looking over to your cluttered workbench.

Your eyebrows furrowed in agitation, and you replied, "It couldn't wait?"

"It is important that I am informed of every investigator's progress, no matter their current project," L countered, watching you from behind his long bangs.

You sighed in equal frustration and defeat. "Fine," you said, "Under normal circumstances I would have finished…but due to the recent events…I'm really far back. It'll be at least another month until it's done."

"I see…that's fine. You may now leave, Ahiru-chan," L dismissed, turning back to his computer.

"That's it? You just wanted to ask a question which could have waited until tomorrow?" you asked, surprised.

"All of my questions are important," L responded, sounding slightly defensive.

You raised an eyebrow in disbelief and stalked out of the room, only stopping to bid goodnight to Light.

"Matsuda? You're still here?" you asked, shocked to find the investigator sitting outside your door.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd be that long" Matsuda laughed, rubbing the nape of his neck as he straightened up.

"Ryu-kun was just being his usual self," you grinned.

"So, can I talk to you now? Or is something else going to interrupt us?" Matsuda questioned, smiling.

Laughingly, you grabbed his wrist and said, "I know a good place."

"What did you want to ask me?" you queried, pulling him onto the roof of the building.

"I actually wanted to ask you about my mother's medical bills," Matsuda said, moving over to the railing to look out over the city.

"Medical bills? Why, do you need my help in paying for them?" you inquired, moving to lean against the railing next to him.

He twisted to face you, surprise written across his features. "You mean…you're not the one who paid them?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I went to pay for the expenses this morning at the hospital. Only, I was told that the account had already been settled," Matsuda said, his eyes showing his worry.

"You thought I had paid them?" you asked, watching a lone bird flying through the navy blue sky towards the horizon.

"Well…I couldn't think of anyone else who would…" Matsuda admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I wonder…if it has anything to do with the person your mother said came and visited her…" you mused, eyes clouding over as your mind considered the possibilities.

"I don't know anyone from my family who would be so generous and not boast about it to the rest of us," Matsuda said, propping his elbow on the railing.

"Well, who else is there to consider…who else would give that much money and not care-"

You stopped halfway through your sentence, your mind coming to the most likely conclusion. "Ahiru-chan?" Matsuda questioned, wondering why you had cut off.

"Matsuda-kun, I'm sorry but I have to go. I have to talk to someone who might know the identity of this mystery donor. I'll let you know as soon as I find something," you called over your shoulder, walking through the doorway into the building.

"Oh…ok," Matsuda said, blinking as he realised he was talking to a closed door.

"I thought you were going to sleep, Ahiru-chan," Light said, as you entered the room.

"I have some business with our in-house genius," you replied, looking pointedly in L's direction.

Light half-smiled, "Does this mean I'm going to be sitting outside a door again?"

You laughed, "It depends on Ryu-kun."

"What business do you have with me?" L questioned, swiveling around in his chair to face you.

"It's regarding certain hospital bills which were magically paid by some anonymous well-wisher," you said, checking his face for the slightest reaction.

He disappointed you by keeping the same blank expression, "I don't see how that has any relation to me."

You frowned, annoyed at being brushed off. "Mrs. Touta, heart attack followed by ventricular fibrillation, admitted to Tokyo Hospital? Ring any bells?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand anything you are saying, Ahiru-chan," L said, talking around his current lollipop.

"Ryuuzaki…" Light whispered, furrowing his eyebrows at the detective.

You felt suspicious, but with him adamantly denying involvement, you had nothing else to go on. Sighing in defeat, you apologised for interrupting their investigation, and excused yourself.

'Dammit…I almost thought it was going to be that easy…' you thought to yourself, collapsing on your bed to finally end the day.


	19. Chapter 19

"Have you found anything yet, Ahiru-chan

"Have you found anything yet, Ahiru-chan?" Matsuda asked, falling into stride with you as you walked towards the main room.

"No, actually," you admitted, "But he can't hold out forever."

You left a confused Matsuda by the door as you made your way over to your computer. Typing overzealously, you didn't notice the glances exchanged behind your back. "Ahiru-chan? Are you mad or something?" Mogi asked, wincing in anticipation as you spun around in your chair.

"What are you talking about?" you replied, oblivious to your own frantic movements.

"Oh…nothing," Mogi dismissed, sweatdropping before turning back to face L and Light.

"Yes! I've found it!" you cried out, cheering.

Once again, everyone was staring at you. You laughed nervously, averting your eyes to stare up at the ceiling. You felt a presence behind you and looked around. "What have you found, Ahiru-chan?" L asked, his curiousity getting the better of him.

"I found something which may be of importance to you, Ryu-kun," you grinned, watching his face for his reaction.

"How did you find this?" he asked, his eyes widening as he scanned down the page.

"There had to be some record of the payment to the hospital…I just went ahead and did a little digging. Turns out, you're more involved than you claimed," you said, waiting for his latest excuse.

"I see…" he turned to the other investigators in the room, "I apologise but I must speak with Ahiru-chan alone."

The investigators stared back blankly, not understanding the meaning behind his words. After a minute of awkward silence, Yagami coughed and said, "I think Ryuuzaki is asking us to leave."

The room cleared and it was just you, L and Light. "You don't mind Light-kun hearing?" you questioned, raising one eyebrow.

L shook his head and looked towards Light, "Light-kun, if you wouldn't mind, please put in these earplugs."

"Well," you grinned, "It's better than sitting outside a door!"

Light gave you a reprimanding glance before seating himself at his computer, earplugs safely inserted to conceal your conversation. "Ahiru-chan," L started, his tone turning serious, "Why have you investigated this trivial matter?"

"It is not trivial, as you say, Ryu-kun," you responded, frowning at his choice of words.

"Your number one priority should be discovering the identity of Kira," L said, staring straight into your eyes.

"I…I can do whatever I want with my time!" you shot back, your anger towards the cryptic detective quickly resurfacing.

Tense silence filled the massive room, the only noise being the tapping on Light's keyboard. You glared at L, daring him to disagree. L stood quietly, his expression impassive as he locked gazes with you. "I was merely pointing out that your time could be invested more wisely in a different pursuit," L eventually said, trying not to escalate your frustration.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you try putting more effort into it? You haven't exactly been overexerting yourself lately, have you?" you growled, automatically raising your defense.

The look in L's eyes almost made you want to apologise. Finding it difficult to hold L's accusing gaze, you turned your head to the side. L's dark eyes bored into you, trying to find why you were becoming so angry over an issue he considered to be unimportant. "You wouldn't get her examined by an expert but you'd pay for her last days? I don't understand!" you burst out, your fists clenched.

"Ryuuzaki…why haven't you told her the truth?" a deep voice interrupted over the speaker system.

"Watari, this is none of your concern," L interjected before you could speak.

"The truth? Don't you ever run out of secrets, Ryu-kun?!" you said, feeling closer to solving this mystery.

"Apparently not," L grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the speakers.

"Ryuuzaki, I feel as though this misunderstanding would be easily cleared up if you would simply tell Ahiru-"

"Enough, Watari. I shall be the one to decide what to disclose and at what date," L cut in, preventing Watari from finishing his sentence.

"I see. I apologise for my interruption, please continue as you wish," Watari ended, a click emitting as he cut off the speaker.

"Tell me what?" you demanded, eyes flashing dangerously.

L's eyes met with yours, and held them for a minute before averting them. "It is not the appropriate time to-"

"Appropriate? What are you talking about?" you questioned, frowning, "Just tell me the truth! Why do you always act like this? You keep these secrets, probably not realising that every secret that you keep from me damages our relationship!"

"I-I…" L stammered, looking taken aback by your words.

"Every time you tell me that you don't feel comfortable telling me or it's not the right time, don't you think it hurts me?"

"Hurts?" he asked, eyes widening in shock.

You looked away, losing the conviction in your movements. "Don't you realise that I wanted to be someone you could tell things you couldn't tell anybody else? That I wanted to mean something to you, to be special even?"

L didn't answer, his mind working in overdrive to process your message. "I never realised that you felt this way, Ahiru-chan…but you must realise that the secrets I hold are important."

You felt like shouting 'Aren't I important?' but you discovered that you were afraid of hearing the answer. 'Why do I feel so scared about the possibility of being rejected? It's not like its never happened…why do I feel that his response could be my undoing?'

"I had Mrs. Touta examined by the best doctor I know, and then cross checked the results with various experts around the world. I was told that she had a high probability of suffering another heart attack leading to ventricular fibrillation, and that it was not likely that she would survive such an attack," L admitted, "To recompense for this finding, I paid for the best care possible."

Your mouth opened, unable to form proper words as you stared at him in disbelief. "You…did all that? Why? You said that it was useless and an inefficient waste of resources!" you interrogated, taking a step towards him.

"A certain detective I know came and opened my eyes," L smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.

You decided that your words couldn't express what you really meant so you threw your arms around him to thank him. Becoming used to your embraces, he moved his own arms to wrap around you tightly. Neither of you made a move to separate, and you stayed together for a few minutes before something occurred to you. "Ryu-kun?"

He made a questioning noise in reply and you continued, "Was it you who went and talked to her whenever Matsuda and I weren't there?"

L pulled back, and opened his mouth to answer. "Ahhhiiirruuuu-cchhhaaannn!!" squealed a high-pitched voice.

"Oh, hi Misa-chan," you replied, cursing inwardly at her bad timing.

"Don't stick around with this stuffy old detective! Misa is all alone in her apartment, so come talk!" Misa said, taking your arm and pulling you away from L.

You reached out an arm as you were dragged further from him and your fingertips missed his shirtsleeve by centimeters. "Ryu-kun!"

He only stood silently and watched you disappear through the doorway. "Ahiru-chan…"

"C'mon Ahiru-chan! Don't look so sad! Help Misa pick out an outfit to impress Light-kun!"

"I'm really not much of a fashion advisor, Misa-chan," you confessed, watching the overenthusiastic blonde.

"What about this one? No, this one! Hmm…with these gloves? Yeah…" Misa rambled, posing in front of the mirror with clothes pulled against her.

"Misa-chan…what do you think love is?" you asked, propping your chin up with your palm as you sat on her spacious bed.

Misa paused and thought about your sudden question. "It's what I feel for Light-kun," she replied slowly, smiling brightly at you.

'But…does he feel the same way back?' you wondered, mind drifting.

"I think we have more in common than I thought, Misa-chan," you said, returning her smile.

"Does this mean we're friends, Ahiru-chan?" Misa questioned, large eyes watching you.

You laughed at her question, "I thought we'd been friends from the beginning, Misa-chan!"

Misa dropped her clothes and tackled you with a hug. "Yay! Misa and Ahiru are friends!"

You struggled to draw breath, "Misa…! Can't…breathe!"

Despite being slowly suffocated to death, you couldn't help but smile with happiness at your newfound affectionate friend.


	20. Chapter 20

You had been working quietly all morning when the phone set on your table began to vibrate

You had been working quietly all morning when the phone set on your table began to vibrate. Setting down your tools, you picked up the phone and quickly scanned the caller I.D. The number was withheld, and you sighed. 'Great, just what I need…another mission…'

Regardless, you left the room, locked yourself in a toilet cubicle and answered the call.

"Is this Ahiru?" a female voice asked.

A bolt of familiarity surged through you, but you pushed it aside to concentrate on the caller. "Yes, it is," you answered, the words sounding low and gruff through the voice modifier.

"Come to the God money gate, I will be waiting for you there," the smooth voice said, before the line was disconnected.

You stood there in silence, contemplating the meeting place. 'The…God money gate? Well, it must be somewhere around Tokyo if they want me to meet them there now…Kami…kane…mon? I don't know of any place called that…but a God gate sounds like it would be near a temple or shrine of some sort…Wait, unless they meant a sum of money…then it would be Kami nari mon…that gate that sits outside Sensoji Temple. Yes! That must be it!'

"I have to go out for a bit," you shouted through the main room entrance, struggling to pull on a backpack.

The investigators looked up in surprise, and L opened his mouth to ask your destination, but you had already sprinted off. 'Ahiru-chan…please keep yourself safe…' L thought, biting on his finger.

Wearing your trademark dark coat, sunglasses and brimmed hat, you made your way to the first gate of the Sensoji Temple. An undistinguishable figure was standing behind the gate, hiding in the shadows. Casually, you strolled over and leant against the other side of the gate. Realising that the caller hadn't given you any way of identifying them, you waited for the other person to speak first. "Ahiru?" a voice asked from the other side of the gate.

"What is your mission for me?" you answered with another question.

"She wants to let you know that even though it's not enough, that she's sorry for what she did to your family as well as you…ever since your last encounter, she's been changing. She's no longer the person who would do anything for money…now, she is…someone who works everyday to be worthy of your forgiveness…" the voice said, sadness tingeing the words.

Your entire body tensed as you realised who they must be talking about. "My Grandma is working…for my forgiveness?"

"Yes," the voice continued, "She's been working almost non-stop for charities across Tokyo…trying to raise money and save lives…all for you."

'All for you…' the words played themselves over and over inside your confused mind. 'Why would she do that though? The last time we met she was bent on killing me…she did let me live but…that was because she said she still had a use for me…I can't trust her. This is a trap.'

"If she's working for my forgiveness, then where is she? Why couldn't she ask me in person?" you demanded, on alert to every movement in the vicinity.

The figure suddenly moved and you reached for your hidden blade in your long sleeve. You pressed the figure against the gate, knife held to their throat. "Call off your attack if you want to live," you growled menacingly, watching through your peripheral vision for any sudden assaults.

The figure slowly raised their head and all of your attention was involuntarily directed to the sad features. You gaped in surprise, suddenly doubting your reasoning. "Grandma?"

Her lined mouth curled up slightly at the name. The corners of her sunken eyes creased as her smile reached them. "Hello, Ren…you wanted to know where I was, didn't you?"

Mouth ajar in shock, you couldn't find any words to say. "There isn't an attack, it's just me now…I don't own anything now except for a small apartment…those days are long gone," your grandma admitted, a pleading look entering her eyes.

'Was she telling the truth? No, she must be lying! She's trying to distract me whilst her guards take aim!'

Your eyes scanned the area, searching for any kind of potential threat. Catching a glint of metal, you threw a small dagger which made a squealing noise as it struck deep. Watching with anticipation, the wind roared down and parted the bushes where you had seen the metal. A short light post was revealed, the dagger protruding from its side. Under any other circumstances, you would have face panned. "Ok…so maybe you're not lying about the no attacks bit…but why should I believe you after all you've done?" you questioned, turning back to look straight into your grandmother's wrinkled face.

"After everything that's happened to you, after everything you've suffered…you still try your hardest to help people who don't even know you exist," your grandma said, "Seeing you try that hard for those people…made me think that maybe even an old woman like me can change."

Staring into her eyes, you were shocked at the sincerity that was held in them. 'She's not lying…'

"I know that it's probably too late for your forgiveness…but maybe by working for nothing and giving up everything…I can earn a little of your respect?"

'My respect? What…what happened to the Grandma I used to hate? The one who only kept me alive on a whim?'

"Please, Ren…at least give me that. I'm not the same anymore, I can be a loving grandmother if that's what you want! I can be anything if you want me to!"

Those words jolted you out of your thoughts, and you stood silently, watching her eyes. After a few minutes of contemplation, you moved the knife and stood with your back to your hopeful grandma. "Does this mean-"

"You want my respect? Earn it the way you're doing now. You want my forgiveness…become my grandmother…the one I used to love."

You held out a hand for her to shake, and her eyes widened. "That's no way to treat family," she said, before reaching out and pulling you into a tight hug.

You tensed, almost expecting a gun to be pushed against your back. However, you were released safely, and almost felt like reaching in for another hug. 'I guess things are going to change from now on…'

Apart from L and Light, you were the only one in the main room, seeing as it was nearly midnight. It had been a few days since your meeting with your grandma, and already you felt more trusting of her. "You seem to be going out fairly often, Ahiru-chan," Light noted, spinning around in his chair to talk with you.

"Yeah…" you answered, smiling absent-mindedly.

Light and L exchanged glances, both wondering why you had been acting so cheerful these last few days. "And the reason is what exactly?" Light prompted, feeling slightly irritated by your constant buzz.

"You know my Grandma?" you started, smiling up at the ceiling.

"I do not think she is easily forgotten," L commented, dryly.

"She's actually become my Grandma…we've been going to see shows, movies, we've gone to the zoo, everything that a normal grandma and her granddaughter would do," you grinned, thinking back over your trips together.

L frowned in worry, "Is that safe, Ahiru-chan?"

You blinked in surprise, and turned your head to look at him. "Of course it is. She really has changed…you'd see it if you met her, Ryu-kun."

"Are you sure it isn't just a trap?" Light suggested, his eyes betraying his concern for you.

"I thought that it was at first…but she hasn't done anything but try to redeem herself. If it is a trap, it's certainly a well planned one," you confessed, grin fading as you contemplated that situation.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Ahiru-chan," L asked, his wary eyes showing nothing.

You almost felt tempted to giggle at the detective. 'What's this? The quiet genius is worried about my safety? Well…I guess I haven't exactly had the best track record…'

"I promise, Ryu-kun," you answered, your voice sounding grave.

He nodded at you in appreciation before turning back to his computer. You smiled to yourself as you thought, 'Maybe he worries about me more than I suspected?'

The investigators had received word from the Chief that they had to make a choice between remaining on the investigation or returning the police. Matsuda, Mogi and Yagami had already displayed their intention to remain on the case; however, Aizawa was experiencing troubles in choosing because of his family. "Ryuuzaki…didn't you make me promise that if anything happens to any member of the investigation, including being fired by the police, I would provide them and their family with sufficient financial aid for a lifetime? Why are you reluctant to tell them this?" Watari's voice interrupted through the speaker.

"Mind your own business, Watari," L replied.

Watari apologised and cut the speaker, leaving Aizawa standing in shock. "What? You've even acted to protect our livelihood? Isn't that great, Aizawa-san?" Matsuda said, smiling at the investigator.

He did not return the smile, and instead a look of loathing warped his features. You watched silently, feeling out of place and more than a little useless in the situation. "Ryuuzaki, were you testing me to see whether I'd leave the police and continue here?" he questioned, suspicion coating his deep voice.

Yagami and Matsuda cut in with excuses, denying that L would do such a thing. You looked towards L, doubt showing in your eyes. 'That does seem like something he'd do…'

Your uncertainties were confirmed when L said, "No. I was testing him. I was seeing what choice he'd make."

The other investigators appeared surprised, and you quickly looked back at Aizawa for his reaction. He raised his head in resolution, voice rising as he nearly shouted, "Fine, I get it! I'm leaving this investigation and returning to the police!"

Matsuda instantly tried to persuade him to alter his decision, but the damage inflicted by the detective's harsh words was already too deep. "I was unable to make an instant decision like you and was leaning towards returning to the police," Aizawa admitted, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Don't be stubborn," Matsuda pleaded.

"No! I quit! I've just clearly realised…I hate Ryuuzaki, his methods, all of it!" Aizawa burst out, turning to leave once and for all.

You could only stare, feeling distressed that a person you considered a close friend was going to leave the headquarters forever. You felt like running over and begging him to stay, but the expression on his face stopped you from moving even an inch. "You know, Aizawa-san, I like people that are like you…" L said, his eyes not moving from his computer screen.

Aizawa shook with either anger or confusion, and he turned around to give the detective one last verbal lash, "That's the other thing I hate! The fact that you can say that with such a straight face! I'm out of here!"

He turned and walked out of the room, fists clenched tightly. You heard L quietly say, "Thanks for all your hard work."

L hadn't moved at all since Yagami had brought the news, and you wondered whether he even cared that he had lost an investigator, maybe even a friend. Feeling torn, you decided that even if you couldn't persuade the man to stay, you would at least say goodbye. Jumping out of your chair, you sprinted down the hall in an attempt to follow him. However, by the time you had reached the lobby, he had taken his things and had disappeared from the investigation and your life.


	21. Chapter 21

"Will somebody tell me what is going on

"Will somebody tell me what is going on?" you demanded, feeling annoyed.

As soon as you had arrived back at the building from a day out with your grandma, you had been stuffed in a van, driven across town, pulled into a hotel, and now you were sitting on a bed, looking around in confusion at the serious-faced people around you.

"Matsuda has been taken captive by Yotsuba…it seems he stumbled into one of their meetings," Yagami explained shortly, pushing a mattress on to the balcony.

"Captive? What do you mean captive? Is his life in danger?" you asked, walking over to help Yagami with the mattress.

As you finally manipulated it into place, Yagami turned and fully explained the situation to you. "Matsuda was found eavesdropping on Yotsuba, he pretended that he was there to promote Misa-san for a commercial, and so Ryuuzaki had to devise a plan for Matsuda to escape."

You glanced warily at the mattress, thinking _'I don't think I'm going to like the sound of this plan…'_

"While Misa-san has Yotsuba distracted, Matsuda is to feign drunkenness and attempt to balance on the edge of the balcony, which is several levels directly above this room. He will lose his balance and go over the edge. The plan is to catch him on this mattress and make it look as though Matsuda has fallen to his death."

Worry coursed through you as a thought occurred, "Won't that leave a chance that Matsuda will misjudge the fall and actually…miss the mattress?"

Yagami looked down at his hands before conceding, "Yes, there is a chance of that occurring. However, this is the only way that there will even be a small percentage chance of Matsuda being recovered safely."

You gaped, unable to believe what you were hearing. _'That's the safest thing they thought of? They want him to jump off a balcony?' _

"Matsuda is balancing on the ledge, be ready Yagami-san, Ahiru-chan, Wedy-san," L's voice interrupted through the speaker.

"Yes, Ryuuzaki-san, everything is in place," Yagami confirmed, moving to secure the mattress.

Before you could react, Matsuda fell from above, landing heavily on the mattress. In the same instant, Wedy threw a brown sack over the edge of the balcony. As the heavy sack impacted with the hard cement, it made a sickening noise. Matsuda's face lit up as he realised he had survived the ordeal, and he stumbled over and collapsed on the bed as his legs gave out on him. You moved across and sat next to him, feeling helpless in the circumstances. "Matsuda-kun…" you whispered to the overstressed investigator, "You made it."

After the entire Matsuda episode had come to a conclusive finish, the man himself sought you out the day after, standing quietly behind your chair in the main room.

"A-Ahiru-chan, I need to talk to you," Matsuda said, stumbling slightly over your name.

You looked at him in confusion, wondering what had him so nervous. "Yeah, sure. I'll be finished this in an hour or so…"

Matsuda's face fell and he looked over to the side. "I was actually wondering if we could talk now? It's important."

You raised an eyebrow at his words, but nonetheless you pushed your chair back and stood. "Where do you want to go?" you asked, glancing at L.

L quickly turned back to his computer, and you wondered why he was avoiding your gaze. "Somewhere private?" Matsuda suggested, making it obvious that he didn't believe that such a place existed within a 50mile radius of L.

"Ok, c'mon. We can go on the rooftop. I'm pretty sure that Ryu-kun hasn't any equipment set up there," you said, making your way to the exit.

Matsuda quickly followed you, his features still betraying his anxiety. L watched over his shoulder as the two of you disappeared through the doorway. Inwardly, he cursed himself for failing to bug the rooftop.

"So what is it?" you questioned, leaning your elbows against the railing surrounding the rooftop.

"Ever since…I was held by Yotsuba…I've been thinking," Matsuda began, his eyes downcast, "And, I realise now…that my feelings for you are never going to be returned."

Shock reverberated through your body, your eyes widening an almost impossible amount as his blunt confession registered. You spluttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. "M-Matsuda! I…you…what? When? How long?"

He nervously smiled his quirky grin and replied, "About a few hours after I first met you."

You mind desperately searched back through your memories, trying to piece together evidence to confirm his story.

'"Good morning, Ahiru-chan!" chimed Matsuda's voice from the doorway. You glanced up from your work and nodded a greeting before ignoring the energetic policeman. Matsuda visibly deflated by your lack of reply, and trudged into the room muttering to himself.

"Umm…would Ahiru-chan like to get coffee with me?" Matsuda asked, a blush spreading across his face.

Taken aback, you took a second to reply. "Not today, Matsuda-san, maybe another day?"

His smile faltered a little but he nodded acceptance of your reply. "Another day then, Ahiru-chan."

You pushed the door open into the main headquarters. As you entered, the other members of the investigation looked up and either greeted you by name or nodded in acknowledgement. "Ohiyo, Ahiru-chan!" called Matsuda, a little too eagerly.'

"You mean…all those times? All those small things you've done for me…all that support you've given me, the encouragement to keep on going even when everything looks like it's about to come apart…that wasn't just because we're friends?"

Matsuda shook his head slowly, intently watching your face for your reaction, as if he expected you to shout at him and storm away. You, however, were in such a state, that such a thought didn't even think of appearing to your struggling reasoning processes. "So…" you began, starting to pull yourself back together, "Why did you decide that I wouldn't feel the same way?"

His nervous smile twisted bitterly as he replied, "Even after only knowing you for less than a day, my mother knew that you didn't love me…that you were in love with someone else…"

You inhaled sharply, afraid of what he might say. "I couldn't see it before, I just thought that you were too shy or too embarrassed to make a move…so I kept trying to make you notice me, make you appreciate the things I was doing for you."

Matsuda paused, his expression conveying defeat. "I should have known that it wouldn't make a difference…and I know that I'll never be as smart, or as rich or even able to compare to him in any way…but…"

Conviction suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he turned to you. "But, I know that if you had let me, for your happiness…I would have given you everything."

Your mind had deserted you and had left you to deal with the situation by yourself. Matsuda's words had paralysed you, leaving you with nothing to say, no words of comfort or reassurance for the man who had just admitted his love for you. "M-Matsuda…I…had no idea that you felt that way about me…I really don't know what to say…" you stammered, afraid of the tense silence engulfing you both.

His signature smile crossed his face once again, lightening his features. "It's okay, I've come to terms with the fact that you're in love with someone else…I only wanted you to know, just in case something happened and it was too late for me to tell you. I think that would have been worse, because that would mean that I never really admitted my feelings…and in a sense, there would never be any proof that I had them."

Something he had said hadn't made sense to you, and you apprehensively asked, "When you said that you'd never be able to compare to him…who did you mean?"

Matsuda gave you a surprised glance, as if he didn't expect such a question. "You never realised?"

"Realised what?" you questioned, drawing your brows together.

"Well…I guess you'll have to figure it out for yourself," Matsuda said, before grinning, "I can give you a hint though."

"Yes?" you asked, coming across a little overenthusiastic.

"Look at what you keep close to your heart. I think that will tell you what you must already know on a deeper level," Matsuda smiled, surprising you with his wise words.

You mulled over his idea, trying to decide what you kept close. "I guess you must have a bit to think about, so I'll let you think in peace," Matsuda said, grinning wryly as he patted your shoulder before walking to the door.

"Hey, Ahiru-chan?"

Pulled from your thoughts, you turned at looked at him questioningly. "Thanks for letting me tell you. It really makes you feel better, when you finally admit it to that person."

With that, Matsuda walked through the doorway, leaving you staring at an empty space.

'What I keep close to my heart?'

You struggled over the concept for a while before eventually conceding defeat and retiring to your room. As you entered through the doorway, you smiled as your bedside table came into view. Sitting on your bed, you picked up the daruma doll L had given you went you visited the festival together. Running your fingers over the smooth surface, memories of that day came flooding back. Setting the doll back down, you picked up the object to its left. It was a photo frame, and inside was a photo of L grimacing as you partially strangled him to make him stay in the picture. You thought back to that warm, eventful night when you had dragged L into the arcade, and had made him agree to a photo in one of the booths.

'"Aww…c'mon, Ryu-kun! It's just one tiny little photo!" you pleaded, pulling him closer and closer to your goal.

"I have remained alive so long, Ahiru-chan, because of my ability to stay **out **of photos…" L grumbled, nevertheless, walking with you.

"Well, there'll only be one, and I'll make sure that no one ever sees it but me and you. Happy?" you grinned, using both of your arms to propel him closer to the booth.

He sighed in defeat, and you inwardly cheered. Pushing him into the booth, you selected the type of photo and waited for the flash. At the last second, L tried to escape, however, you wrapped an arm around his neck rendering him unable to move. Unfortunately, you practically cut off his oxygen supply, but you considered that a small sacrifice for a photo of him and you together. As it finished printing, you held it up to L's face, waiting for his comment. "Fine, you can keep that one. But no more photos…ever," he had grudgingly agreed.

You thanked him with a hug, before sliding the photo into your coat pocket, just next to your heart.'

Your eyes widened, staring down at photo frame in your shaking hands. The pieces were slowly falling together, making sense of the confusing jigsaw in your mind when it came to the dark-haired genius. "The one I love is…L?"


	22. Chapter 22

It had been a few days since Matsuda's rescue, and also a few days since you had started avoiding L

It had been a few days since Matsuda's rescue, and also a few days since you had started avoiding L. Currently, you were walking down the hall towards the main room, a new day of investigating ahead of you. 'Why has it been so hard to talk to him? Maybe it would have been better if I had never realised the truth…'

You sighed, loudly. "Problems with Ryuuzaki?" a deep voice interrupted your thoughts.

Jumping slightly, you swallowed and turned to Mogi, "Wh-what makes you think that?"

"That's your usual expression whenever you're fighting with Ryuuzaki…am I wrong?" the calm investigator replied.

You sighed again, annoyed that you were getting so easy to read. "Am I slipping, Mogi-san?"

He looked into your face for a minute, seeming to think very carefully about your question. The sound of your soft shoes falling upon the tiles was the only noise between you two as you walked in silence. "No…I don't think that's it. You're still the same in many ways, except…I think that whenever you think of Ryuuzaki…you suddenly seem to show everything you feel on your face and in your actions."

Startled, you perused his words. 'Only Ryu-kun can make open up?'

"Good morning, Mogi-san, Ahiru-chan," Yagami greeted, smiling at you both.

You looked around in confusion, not having realised that you had reached the main room so quickly. "Good morning, Chief," Mogi returned, leaving your side to walk closer to the front of the room.

"Oh…um, good morning Yagami-san, Matsuda-kun, Light-kun…Ryu-kun," you said, pausing before acknowledging the dark-haired detective.

Each nodded at you in turn, L sparing you a curious glance. You quickly turned your eyes away and seated yourself in your high-backed leather chair. Expertly wielding a screwdriver, you quickly immersed yourself in your work, completely blocking out the investigators. Smiling to yourself, you felt pleased with your progress. 'Another couple of full days on this and it should be finished…L should be happy with that…L…'

Your thoughts drifted off and you stared listlessly at the plain-whitewashed wall. Someone tapped you on the shoulder and you turned to face Yagami Souchirou, blinking in surprise. "Yagami-san?"

"Your phone, Ahiru-chan?" he said, looking pointedly at your desk.

"Hmm?" you mumbled, frowning slightly.

It was then you realised that your phone was vibrating slowly across your desk. You nodded to Yagami in apologetic thanks and lurched for your phone. Answering it in a low tone, you quickly perked up when you recognised the voice. "Grandma?"

"Yes, dear. I was just wondering if you'd like to accompany me to the park for a walk today," your grandma questioned, her voice sounding hopeful.

Glancing at your work, you decided that it could wait until you got back. "Ryu-kun, I'm going out for a bit," you said, barely even making eye contact with the investigator.

As you left the room, he watched you, his deep eyes questioning and confused.

"Grandma!" you called out, catching sight of her sitting on a park bench.

Her face lit up as you came closer, standing up to pull you into her welcoming arms. Releasing each other, your grandmother stepped back to beam at you. "Ren-chan, I'm glad you came."

"I had to leave work but any excuse to leave that gloomy place is welcome," you laughed, keeping pace alongside her as you walked through the park.

Your grandmother looked at you seriously. "You don't like your work?"

"No, I do like my work…it's just a little…hitch I'm having a problem with," you smiled, gazing into the distance.

"A man?" your grandmother probed, eyes twinkling with years of experience.

You started, surprised again at being found out so easily. Your grandmother chuckled at your response, obviously amused by your embarrassment. "That confirms it then. What's he like? He must be something to catch the eye of **my **granddaughter."  
His face flashed across your mind, and you couldn't help but smile. "He **is** quite something…he's a genius in all respects, and completely obvious to all womankind."

Your grandmother's eyebrows rose, "He doesn't notice you? He must be blind."

Truthfully, you replied, "Oh, he notices alright. He notices everything, but whether he understands it is another question."

"I'm back," you chorused, swinging your bag happily by your side.

The occupants of the room turned and tilted their heads in greeting before turning back to their independent work. Just as were about to sit down, a voice interrupted you. "Ahiru-chan, I apologise for the inconvenience, but I have reason to speak with you."

Swallowing, you nodded at the genius and followed him and Light to the bare room you had used before. "Sorry, Light-kun," L said before closing the door behind him, leaving an annoyed Light stranded alone in the hallway.

He turned back to you, his expression stoic and business-like. "Ahiru-chan, you've been going out often to visit your grandmother. Whilst I have no quarrel with this, your work has been steadily decreasing in quality and you have been spending a considerably less amount of time finishing the computer I commissioned you for."

Your mouth hung open in absolute shock. The words delivered in such an emotionless way cut deeper than if he had screamed them at you. "I-I'm sorry, Ryu-kun. I've just been so…overwhelmed by it. I haven't really thought about what you must be thinking about me," you murmured, wanting to escape the room as quickly as possible.

'What I must be thinking? Did she even understand what I meant?'

"I just want to make sure that your work isn't suffering because of your…outside activities," L said, trying to keep your wandering gaze.

'Outside activities? He makes it sound as though I'm out partying or drinking every day…not spending time with my grandma!'

"I don't appreciate your choice of words, Ryu-kun," you said, trying to keep your voice level.

L sighed heavily, obviously exasperated. "Only you, Ahiru-chan."

You frowned; his tone had made it obvious that the words were derogatory. Crossing your arms in annoyance, you took a deep breath to calm both your nerves and irritation. 'How can I feel such conflicting feelings for him? On one hand, I feel so nervous around him because of the way he makes me feel, yet…at the same time, he's the one that can make me jump from happy to angry in record time…'

"How you mean, Ryu-kun?"

The detective stared at the ceiling, his eyes searching the immaculate white paint for the barest hint of how to answer your query without escalating your agitation. You snapped, all the bitterness you felt at L for Aizawa's departure poured out to soak your words with malice, "What do you mean only you? Only me who gets this angry? Only me who doesn't spend every waking minute working on this investigation? Or only me who you can't manipulate or pay into subservience?"

The target of your accusations stood stock still, not used to being treated with such open disdain. He found it hard to form words, and even if he could, he wouldn't know what to say. "Is that what you think of me, Ahiru-chan?" he eventually asked, his eyes fixed to a point inches above the top of your head.

Struck by the sudden change in his demeanour, you regretted your harsh words. 'I didn't think it would make him look so…forlorn.'

"Uh, forget I said anything!" you dismissed, suddenly feeling worried.

"No, Ahiru-chan, tell me what you think of me."

His expression was unreadable, somewhere between apathy and distress. You hadn't seen him this vulnerable in a long time, and you had hoped to never again see his eyes so distraught. Squirming, you felt unable to think of an answer. 'Tell him how you really feel! No, don't admit to anything!'

Two opposing sides of your brain fought for domination, both of them fighting to get you to either open up or run from your feelings. "I…honestly…think…you're one of the most confusing and… and annoying people I've ever met. Sometimes I think you're the kindest, most generous person that ever lived…and then other times I think you're so self-obsessed and egotistic and that you live by no moral code whatsoever. The way you hide secrets from everyone, the way you never admit the whole truth and keep everyone in the dark, you wouldn't believe how absolutely infuriating that is."

L's face shadowed, his body turning away from you. The corner of your mouth curled up in amusement. "But…that's why I admire you so much…Ryu-kun, and that's why, no matter what…I'll always be on your side."

L turned back to face you, not expecting your answer. His dark eyes searched your own, and he took a step towards you. He took another and you realised he was coming awfully close, however, you didn't feel uncomfortable in his proximity. The look in his eyes seemed almost as though he was seeking permission for something. You didn't move, you didn't want to; you liked being this close to the sweet-smelling detective. One of his hands rose, moving to cup the side of your face. Suddenly the hand was yanked away and a voice sounded through the door. "Ryuuzaki, have you finished yet? We don't have much time to spend if we're serious about catching Kira."

Light was tugging on the chain connected to L's wrist, impatient to get back to work. The expression on L's face passed from masked aggravation to submission. "I'm sorry, Ahiru, we must continue this another time."

_With that said, he was out of the door and down the hall before you could even think to speak. In his wake, he left you feeling as though you had once again nearly grasped something only to have it slip through your fingers. _


	23. Chapter 23

"Umm, I think I'll chase Kira on my own after all

"Umm, I think I'll chase Kira on my own after all. I'll let you use headquarters and I'll continue to use them myself as well. Yagami-san and the rest of you can continue to pursue Kira as you wish using your own methods. I'll investigate using my own methods. Unless we do this, it'll just end in arguments. Let's just go our separate ways."

Your head snapped around at L's words, 'What is he doing? Where is this going to leave me? Do I go with the Yagami and the others…or do I stay with him?'

"I'm against the arrest of those seven, so if you're planning to do it, it's your responsibility. I'll pursue Kira by myself. We have a month. It'll depend on which of us is fastest," L finished, getting up from his chair and walking over to the stairs.

Light was dragged along, protesting. "Ryuuzaki! Where are you going?"

"To Amane's room. I'm sorry, Light-kun. I know you're on your father's side, but I'll need you to come with me as I can't remove the handcuffs," L said, disappearing up the stairs with Light in tow.

'He said…he'll do it alone. So, I guess…he doesn't need me on this anymore. Maybe I should just finish the computer and forget everything about Kira…No! Kira needs to be caught, the killings have to end.'

The footage from the Amane's room was shown on the screen, L was pacing around the room whilst Misa was standing close to Light. Watching with interest, you slowly got the gist of L's plan. 'He wants to put Misa in danger? And she's just going along with it…because of the way he phrased it, saying that to prove her love she should put herself at risk? I can't accept that!'

You eyes flickered back to the screen as you saw Misa peck L on the cheek, jumping around happily. L looked surprised and grasped his cheek, commenting, "I might fall for you…"

You pursued your lips at the screen, watching L silently. Making up your mind, you bolted up the stars and through the wooden door to Misa's apartment. The three occupants turned and stared at your panting figure. You straightened up and directed a glare in L's direction. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes showed that your intense glower surprised him. "Yes, Ahiru-chan?" he queried, expecting a small request.

"What do you think you're doing?" you snapped, storming up to the slouched detective.

"What do you mean? Amane-san, Light-kun and I were just talking," he replied, his eyes growing hazy as his brain fumbled for an excuse for your behaviour.

"Why are you putting Misa in danger like that?! She's not just some piece in a chess game to be manipulated by you! The way you worded it, she doesn't have a choice but to accept! Be considerate to others, Ryuuzaki!"

Misa interjected, objecting heavily, "It's okay, Ahiru-chan, Misa wants to do this."

Your gaze directed itself to Misa's energetic form, taking in the conviction in her eyes.

"How can you be so willing to throw your life away for the selfish ideas of one man, Misa-chan…"

"Misa knows that since Light and Ryuuzaki are working on this together, there's no way Misa will get hurt," she smiled, hugging onto Light's arm once again.

You froze and stared at the beaming model. 'She has that much faith in them? I've known both of them for much longer and I still wouldn't trust them with something like this…am I just being too overcautious?'

"That's right, Amane-san, there's no way we would allow you to be hurt," L affirmed, nodding at the idol.

You felt torn, not wanting to give up your stance on the matter, but also not wanting to be the only one to overreact. "Misa trusts Light and Ryuuzaki with her life, but Misa also wants Ahiru-chan to work on the case with them…then there's no way Misa could get hurt!" she beamed, wanting you to work together with the others.

"Yes, I would want you to work on the case with us as well, Ahiru-chan," L confirmed, nodding his head.

You sighed, inwardly debating. 'I don't agree with this plan…but if I'm working with them, I'll be able to help Misa if she needs it…it's a much better position to be in than having no idea what's going on…'

Raising your head, you looked straight at L. "Fine, I'll work with you…but if Misa gets hurt, there's going to be hell to pay."

In the following days, you sat in the acting classes with Misa, the fake Erald Coil, and L, offering tips whenever you felt the need to be helpful. Secretly, you enjoyed spending the days with the overdramatic Misa and the directing L.

Finally, it reached the day of Misa's interview with Yotsuba. As Misa and her newly appointed manager, Mogi, exited the building, you grabbed her wrist. She turned back to you, eyebrows raised. "Make sure you take care of yourself Misa-chan, and don't be afraid of calling us for help. We'll get there as soon as we can if at any time you feel threatened or-"

"Please, Ahiru-chan, stop worrying, Misa can take care of herself," the model smiled, touched by your concern.

Realising that she already knew the danger she was placing herself in, you grasped her in a warm hug. "Ahiru-chan…. thank you."

She slipped out of your arms and into the waiting car, giving you a small wave. As the car drove away, you raised your own arm and returned the gesture, watching as the black vehicle disappeared around a corner.

"Wait, you didn't even get her to wear a wire?" you asked, leaning against L's desk.

"No, if Yotsuba found such a thing on her persons…she would definitely be at high risk of exposure," L murmured, talking through the various unnamable sweets in his mouth.

"True…but aren't we relying a lot on Misa's acting skills?" you pointed out, stealing a sweet from L's grasp.

The detective frowned up at you, "Amane-san is not in any danger, Ahiru-chan. Please just relax."

Scowling slightly, you stood up and for the next few hours, worked impatiently on your computer. 'Hey, it's nearly done. Just a few more finishing touches and it'll be perfect!'

The door to the main room opened and in walked Mogi, his face expressionless. You inhaled sharply, fearing the worst. "Heya!" greeted a familiar bubbly voice, and Misa came into view behind the tall investigator.

The tired model then made her way over to Light and sat comfortably on his lap. Mogi revealed that Yotsuba had in fact decided to hire Misa for their multi-platform advertising campaign, and Misa jumped in eagerly that she had been secretly contacted by some of the Yotsuba members for private meetings. "Now I just need to accept their offers and begin investigating them, right?" Misa asked L, leaning forward, "Everything is going to plan!"

"No," Light interrupted, "That plan has been cancelled."

You all looked at Light in surprise. "Why?! It's all gone so well!" Misa objected, turning her head to face Light.

"This method places you in too much danger. I won't tell you to not do the commercial, but from now on, you'll deny that you were the second Kira and were restrained by L."

Light glanced at you and you realised why he had suddenly decided to speak his mind. You nodded to him in thanks, understanding what he was giving up for Misa's safety and your peace of mind. 'Thank you, Light-kun. I can't believe I ever thought you were Kira.'

Misa removed herself from Light's lap and stood to face him. "If Light-kun says so, I'll do it. Well, Misa's tired and she needs to be on location early tomorrow, so she's off to bed."

Misa raised her arm and waved a goodbye before walking from the room. Leaning on the doorframe, she called out, "Light? You want to sleep with me?"

"What are you talking about, Misa?" Light replied, straightening up to stare at the blonde.

Misa smiled back, "I know! We can do that after Kira's caught, right? No need to get so embarrassed, Light!"

You coughed softly, trying to disguise laughter. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Light-kun," L commented, holding a steaming cup in his hand.

The brown-haired student glared down at the genius, "I'm not embarrassed."

"Why are you taking it so seriously, Light-kun?" L asked, facing his younger companion.

Light only glared before seating himself back down in his usual chair. You held a hand over your mouth to cover a smile, finding Light's failed concealment amusing. 'Oh, Light-kun, you can be so naïve…'

After Misa had cleverly tricked Higuchi into revealing his secret, and had replayed it on her phone to the shock of the investigation, a plan was quickly devised centering on the manipulation of Higuchi's actions. It reached the hour of initiation and you felt both apprehensive and excited about the final capture of Kira. 'It's really going to be over after this…I wonder if L will still let me live here…'

You watched in silence as Higuchi raced to his car, a dark bag in his clammy grasp. His started his bright red car and sped around the corner. Nearly a quarter of an hour passed before Higuchi stopped the car and practically leapt out of the vehicle. You watched with impatience, wondering where he had gone to at such a time. Something was pushed to you and you pulled the phone from L's grasp, looking apologetic. "Sorry, Ryu-kun. I wasn't expecting anyone to ring."

Leaving your chair, you walked to the back of the main room, trying to make as little noise as possible. Recognising the call I.D., you exhaled and flipped open the phone. In the background, Wedy's voice was played over the speaker, "Ryuuzaki-san, you won't believe this…but the place he's gone…"  
"Grandma? I'm kind of busy-"

"Ryuuzaki-san…he's gone to Ahiru-chan's grandmother's house…"

Wedy's words registered just as your grandmother's voice interrupted you, her voice detached and cold. "Listen carefully to me, Ahiru-chan. Follow my instructions and you won't be killed."


	24. Chapter 24

Your blood froze cold

Your blood froze cold. "W-what do you mean? You're only joking, right? Grandma? Please say you're joking…"

Your voice was shaking; you couldn't believe that she had fooled you again. Made you trust her, before once again betraying you and leaving you alone. As soon as the words left your mouth, L was at your side, putting his head against yours to listen to the conversation.

"Ahiru. You have been instructed to investigate the identity of Matsui Tarou, the former manager of Amane Misa. Matsui Tarou is a false name. You must find out the real name of this man. If you fail or if you attempt to contact the police, you will be killed by Kira."

Trembling, you didn't answer. Your mouth was opening and closing, but you couldn't find any words. The task was impossible, you knew. There was no way that you would tell her about Matsui's real identity. "I…understand."

In desperation, you looked at L with pleading eyes. 'Help me, L-kun…'

He gestured for you to muffle the phone, and moved closer to whisper in your ear. If this hadn't been such a tense situation, you would have enjoyed his proximity. "Ahiru-chan, you must stall. I very much doubt that they will kill you unless you give them a good enough reason. Let them think that you are following their instructions, and wait until their patience wears thin. They will then demand an answer, and you must reply that you haven't found any information. They will get back into the car and try and find the answer through another route. By my logic, they will leave you alive as a backup."

You nodded once and closed your eyes, strengthening yourself. All of the emotions raging within you - anger, betrayal, and loneliness – you tried to keep inside and hide. You didn't want them to see you break down, especially the detective at your side. Slowly exhaling, you began to describe the false investigation. After nearly 5 minutes of rambling about firewalls and blocks on access, you heard someone shout in the background. The phone was fumbled around and an angry male voice invaded your ear. "Why haven't you found anything? Are you even looking?! If you don't find the answer in the next 30 seconds, I'll kill you."

Your eyes snapped around to meet L's, your heart rate jumping up to pound around your head. He nodded, acknowledging that he had heard the threat. "Continue, it's an empty threat. He won't dare to kill one of his chances of escaping the situation."

The confidence in his eyes kept you strong, the belief in them stopping you from flinging the phone and running away to escape the inherent danger. Moving your hand, you grasped his arm tightly. "You have an answer, girl?!" the voice demanded, making you feel as though you'd been physically hit.

"I'm sorry…it's classified information so it's hard to get through their security," you replied, your hand sliding a little further down L's arm.

"Damn! You've given me no choice, girl!"

The beeping pierced your eardrum as you realised he had hung up on you. The phone dropped from your fingers as you felt a tightening around your heart. Clattering loudly on the floor, you soon went with it. Falling to your knees, you clutched your chest with one hand as the other remained tightly in L's grasp. "Ahiru-chan!"

Your vision was fading around the edges and you felt nauseous. 'I guess this is it…well it's not as if anyone relies on me anymore…Grandma…never loved me. At least I'm going to die with the one I love next to me…'

Breathing shallowly and erratically, you felt L drop down to your side. He raised your chin and looked into your face. "Ahiru…I'm sorry…I didn't think…"

His own face dropped and his dark bangs covered his eyes.

"No…don't apologise-"

"I should have believed in his threat…I thought he wouldn't carry it through…"

Slowly, you began to realise something. As soon as you had accepted your fate and controlled your breathing, you felt less constricted.

"No, Ryuuzaki-san-"

"It's my fault…Ahiru-chan, I "

"No, Ryuuzaki-san, listen to me!" you practically shouted, bringing L out of his murmuring daze.

"I'm alright. I just had something like a panic attack when I thought he was going to kill me…but I'm okay now…" you said, taking another deep breath.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah…I'm sorry for worrying you, Ryu-kun."

With an enormous effort, you straightened up, slightly unsteady on your feet. Suddenly you felt arms wrap around you from behind. "No, I'm sorry for letting you get that worried, Ahiru-chan," L's voice whispered, his grasp momentarily tightening before releasing you completely.

You stumbled forward a few steps, not wanting him to let you go. You felt a hand on your arm and you turned to a concerned Light. "It was a panic attack? Not Kira?" he asked, his dark eyes searching yours.

You nodded, feeling overwhelmed by his caring nature. "Ahiru-chan!!" a high-pitched voice cried, and you turned in time to get completely bowled over by a teary blonde.

"You had Misa scared! Misa thought you were going to die!" the model bawled, her arms surrounding your neck.

"It's okay, Misa…I guess Kira felt merciful tonight," you mused, propping yourself up on your elbows.

You looked over to see a contemplative L, already sitting in his usual position on his chair in front of the computer. 'I wonder if he's thinking the same thing as me…'

After Misa had settled down, you all moved back in front of the computer, watching as Higuchi and your grandma sat in his red Porsche and sped down the highway. You felt a lump in your throat as you watched your grandmother's stoic expression. 'Grandma, you betrayed me twice now, don't you feel anything? Even the tiniest bit guilty that you've hurt me so much?'

Watching in silence, you wondered why the suspected Kira was calling your grandmother 'Rem'. You deduced the man must be hallucinating, he was having a conversation with your silent grandmother and everything he said seem to carry on from an unheard response. Finally, Higuchi pulled over at Yoshida Productions and locked your grandmother inside before heading into the building. Not having time to focus on your grandma, you waited impatiently for Kira to betray his secret. Higuchi flipped through the files, attempting to locate the one he was so desperately searching for. Taking note of the name in a notebook he then exited the building and reentered the car, smirking heavily. An icy cold finger of recognition drew up your spine. "It's no use! All he's done is made a note of the name and now he's leaving! He's not going to kill him here?" Light burst out, also impatient to learn the secret.

"Shit, he won't die!!" Higuchi suddenly shouted, infuriated.

"What does he mean by that?! 'He won't die'?" Light said, his voice rising in confusion.

"He's already attempted to kill him? Could writing down their name be how he kills?" L wondered aloud.

Light turned to L for advice, "What should we do? Wait and see what he does? I can only assume it means he can kill someone merely by knowing their name and willing them to die."

Theories surged through your mind, awaiting confirmation through further information. Higuchi's expression, although shadowed, was obviously one of fear and strain. Suddenly, he slumped and said, "Rem, it's time to do the deal."

'What? Deal with who? He can only mean my grandma…but what type of deal?'

Higuchi's eyes flashed red and his grin stretched from ear to ear. To you, he truly looked like a madman. Revving the engine, he took off down the road at high speed. Hearing a police siren in the background, you prayed that Higuchi wasn't being pulled over for speeding. Unfortunately, a young man's helmeted head appeared in Higuchi's window and demanded to see his license. '"Ah, alright then," Higuchi sighed, looking through his bag.

"Don't," you heard your grandmother's voice, "Just pay the fine and go."

Higuchi suddenly put the car into drive and sped off, leaving the policeman behind. The motorcycle policeman jumped on his bike and raced after him, his sirens blaring. You heard a crash in the background, and Mogi's voice through the earpiece, "T-The bike's collided with a truck! It's a complete wreck!"

"A wreck?! An accidental death?" Light said, his eyes widening at the news.

"This is bad…" L murmured, frowning.

'What? How could he kill just by seeing his face? Why does he look so familiar? What is going on?' you thought, your mind unable to keep up with the unfolding events.

"Everyone! I believe that it'll be too dangerous to allow Higuchi to act any further! We're going ahead with his capture. However, Higuchi's now able to kill just by looking at someone's face, similar to the second Kira. We'll be making the arrest under that assumption!

'Brown hair…tall…average weight…wears a suit…scary, mad eyes…wait…haven't I seen eyes like that before?'

"Ryu-kun, what's that man's full name?" you asked, already anticipating the answer.

"Kyosuke Higuchi. Why?"

You closed your eyes as everything seemingly pieced itself together. 'I thought it was strange that Higuchi would go to my grandmother…I can't believe I didn't make the connection before…I just thought he was just another brown-haired man living in Tokyo…no one special…'

"Ryu-kun, Light-kun. That man, Higuchi, was working with my grandmother, who was blackmailing me for the information to kill L. On the night I infiltrated Korma Corp, she told him to kill me…and he pulled out a black notebook. He said that he didn't know what I looked like and she took the notebook from him and began to write my name…" you said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I never thought of it before, but I think that black notebook is how Kira kills."


	25. Chapter 25

L and Light stared at you in utter shock

L and Light stared at you in utter shock. "What? That notebook has the ability to kill humans?" Light asked, his eyebrows rising.

"Just by knowing a person's face and writing their name in this note…" L murmured, his eyes glued to Higuchi's actions.

You nodded, grimly. "This is how Kira has been killing all along…" Light considered, trailing off as his mind raced over the concept.

"No," L said, frowning slightly, "We don't know this for sure…I'm sorry Ahiru, but we need more than just a theory to prove this."

"It's fine, I'd do the same in your position…" you accepted, shrugging it off.

Issuing a few commands to the various groups, L turned to Light and asked, "Well then, Yagami-kun, shall we go too?"

Light nodded and you wondered where you would be the most useful. "Ahiru, I request that you come with me," L said, moving forwards to handcuff Misa to his chair, "I'm sorry, Misa-san, but I'm going to leave you immobolised for a while."

The next few minutes were a blur, someone was pushing you from behind and ushering you into a seat in a helicopter that you didn't even know had existed. Looking down at the buckles in confusion, you speculated about how they supposedly turned into a secure seatbelt. Picking up both clasps, you stared down at them and deliberated about how to approach the issue. Suddenly, two pale hands reached down and efficiently tightened the buckles. Looking up, you silently thanked L. He acknowledged your thanks and went to secure himself in his own seat. He quickly prepared the helicopter for take off and you contorted in your seat to find out where this helicopter had silently rested until this day. From what you could see, the helicopter had resided on a platform above the place you usually went to think. Taking you by surprise, the floor fell out from under you and you clamped your mouth shut not to shout out with surprise. Leaving your stomach behind, the helicopter took off and raced away from the building with astonishing speed. Whilst Light marveled at L's ability to fly a helicopter on top of everything else, you watched in silence as Watari calmly assembled a sniper rifle. Feeling slightly sick, you closed your eyes and pretended that you were on solid ground, not flying through the air in a piece of refined metal. "Ahiru-chan, are you feeling alright?" Watari asked, pausing in his assembling.

Your eyes still firmly closed, you answered him with a vague noise of dissent. "Take one tablet and you'll feel better," Watari said, handing you a pale blue tablet, "Yagami-kun, would you also like some medicine?"

Light shook his head and informed Watari that he felt fine. Grumbling as you took the offered medicine, you felt resentful towards Light. "You've never been in a helicopter before, Ahiru-chan?" Watari questioned, resuming his previous task.

"Once when I was a child…but I screamed so much that we immediately had to return…needless to say, I haven't been in a helicopter since," you grinned, wanting to take your mind off the flight.

"We shouldn't be in the air for too much longer, Ahiru-chan, Higuchi has just returned to his car after finding all the footage of Matsuda-kun erased at Yotsuba. He's heading to Sakura TV now," L informed, glancing at the GPS system installed in the helicopter's dash.

"Is…my grandma still with him?" you asked, hesitantly.

"It seems to be so…" L affirmed.

"I see," was your succinct reply.

Looking down at your hands, you noted that already the queasiness in your stomach had lessened dramatically. Sighing, you resigned yourself, and thinking about your family, completely zoned out.

Yagami's grim voice sounded out through the speakers, "Ryuuzaki-san, Higuchi has arrived at Sakura TV, we will be ready to engage him as soon as he enters the filming studio."

"Understood, Yagami-san. Please keep us informed about the situation," L replied, speaking into his mouthpiece.

Locking onto his words, you realised that it was nearly time for Higuchi to be cornered, and also the time for you to come face-to-face with your grandmother. Swallowing your fear, your eyes filled themselves with the determination pulsing through your body.

You waited for the news about Higuchi's capture, silently praying that everything was going to go according to plan. Mogi's strained voice suddenly shouted, "Higuchi's got a gun. The Chief's been shot. Higuchi has managed to escape."

You started in shock, immediately thinking the worst. "I'm fine…Sorry, Ryuuzaki…" Yagami said, his voice pained, "If you hurry after him, you can still catch him. Hurry!"

Exhaling in relief, you wondered how Yagami could remain so brave whilst bearing a gun wound. "This isn't good, he's escaped from Sakura TV," Light said, worried.

At the back of your mind, you wondered whether Light was more concerned over Higuchi's escape than his father's health. "There's no choice," L mumbled, looking over to Light, "We've got to actively join this pursuit."

Light nodded in acceptance, and Watari notified L that he was ready. "Ahiru-chan, please take this. You may need to use it," L said, holding a gun out for you to take.

Tentatively, you reached out and grasped its heavy metal base. L retracted his hand and held up an identical gun to Light. "Yagami-kun, please hold onto this, for your own protection. Our opponent is Kira, after all."

"No…that's illegal in Japan," Light replied, shaking his head.

"I'm sure Yagami-san said the exact same thing," L murmured, the corner of his mouth turning upwards.

Smiling, you thought about how Light could be so similar to Yagami in some ways and so different to him in others.

"What's this? I thought I asked the police not to get involved," came Watari's voice from the right side of the helicopter.

Leaning over to peer out of the open panel, you saw that Higuchi's red Porsche had been blocked from continuing along the motorway by numerous police vehicles. "The only person who'd do this is…" Light started.

"Yes, that's right."

'Aizawa-san…'

L suddenly directed the helicopter to the right, and you began to set down on the empty road. You looked through the front window to realise L had positioned the helicopter to catch Higuchi in between the police. Hearing revving, the wheels of Higuchi's car span and movement from Watari caught your eye. Leaning precariously out of the open door, Watari took aim and said, "It ends here."

He fired and the rubber around one of the tires burst, causing Higuchi's car to spin out of control, crashing into the cement sidewall. The police cars quickly moved in to surround the wrecked vehicle, and you felt relieved that it was all over. Surprising you all, Higuchi raised his gun and pointed it directly at your grandmother's head. "Stay back! Or I'll shoot!" he screamed, no longer capable of rational thought.

Dragging her unceremoniously out of the car with him, he kept a firm hold around her neck and the gun planted against her temple. 'What is he doing? Now he's betraying her?'

Feeling as though you had sat and watched for far too long, you pushed past a surprised Watari and leapt out of the still-hovering helicopter. You sprinted over and stood with your gun raised at the two. "What do you think you're doing, brat?!" Higuchi screeched, waving the gun wildly around.

However, you weren't interested in him, all your attention had focused on the gray-haired woman in front of him. You stared into her eyes, wanting her to feel all the pain she had inflicted on you. She held your gaze and moved her hand slightly. Your eyes flickered to that movement, fearing that it was a threat. You grew confused when she raised her hand and then motioned down, as though she was trying to wave goodbye. 'Goodbye? What is she trying?'

You took a step forward, wanting to see her face a little clearer. "Don't move, brat! I'll shoot her if you take another step!" Higuchi raged, spittle flying from his mouth.

"What do I care? Go ahead and shoot her!" you retorted, taking another step forwards.

"I'm warning you one last time! Another step and I'll pull the trigger!"

Peering into her face, you were puzzled over her forlorn expression. You had also noted that her hand movements had stopped, and her arms now hung limply at her sides. Even though she looked as though she held no hope for life, she still stared straight back at you, as though she was trying to tell you something by thought alone. Working something out, you shouted at them both, "You think I'd care about her?! What has she ever done for me? Caused me pain, left me alone, put me **down!****"**

As soon as the last word had left your mouth, you aimed the gun straight at your grandmother's heart and fired.

**BANG!!**

The entire area went quiet as everyone tried to register what had happened. Your grandmother had fallen to the ground and Higuchi looked down in surprise. "Give it up, Higuchi," you growled, the menace in your voice terrifying.

A bright patch of red appeared right below Higuchi's ribcage area. Grasping the wound with his hand, Higuchi dropped to his knees, the gun falling from his other hand. Yagami and the others quickly rushed in to restrain the mentally instable murderer, wrenching his arms behind his back and tying a blindfold roughly over his eyes. You, however, were completely oblivious to this, only focusing on the fallen figure of your grandmother. Walking forwards hesitantly, you looked directly into her staring eyes.

_Her stressed, raspy voice reached your ears, nearly breaking your heart, "Ren-chan…when did you figure out the truth?"_


	26. Chapter 26

Your vision began to blur, but you refused to cry in front of everyone

Your vision began to blur, but you refused to cry in front of everyone. Crouching down in front of your grandmother, you avoided her eyes and stared down at the ground. "Ren-chan…" your grandmother started, her voice sounding pained.

Looking up, you saw that her arms were stretched out towards you. You bit your lip as you decided what to do. Voice cracking from stress, you whispered, "I did the right thing didn't I? You were a hostage weren't you?"

Nodding, she told you that she would tell you the details later, when she felt she could talk again. Finally believing your grandmother, you moved into her frail arms, hugging her with every ounce of energy you had left in your drained body. As you were embracing her, Higuchi was quickly handcuffed and dragged off to a waiting vehicle. "Ahiru-san, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ryuuzaki needs to talk with your grandmother."

Feeling a hand place itself on your shoulder, you released your grandmother and looked up into the kind face of Watari. You glanced back at the helicopter to see L staring in your direction. Looking closer, you realised that his eyes were locked onto your grandmother. Frowning, you wondered if he was still suspicious of her. 'Then again…he still suspects Light-kun after all this time…I suppose he's got more reason to be wary of my grandmother…'

Tilting your head back to talk to Watari, you realised that your grandmother had already started to walk over to the helicopter. "Oh…"

A hand presented itself to you and you smiled as you realised that it belonged to Aizawa. You grasped it firmly and pulled yourself up, straight into his welcoming arms. "Aizawa-san…"

"Ahiru-chan…I'm sorry I didn't wait to say goodbye…I was just so angry at Ryuuzaki-san that I didn't think of waiting…"

"No…it's alright. I'm just glad that you came when we needed you…no matter how much you hated Ryu-kun…" you mumbled, feeling happy that everything had worked itself out in the end.

"Of course. When we were told what was going on, nothing was going to stop us from helping," Aizawa laughed, stepping away.

"Well I'm glad you came!" you grinned in response.

"We are all glad you came, Aizawa-san," called a soft voice from behind the ex-investigator.

He turned and you saw L standing there, holding out his hand. Hesitantly, Aizawa grasped it and with that, the bonds between the two seemed to mend slightly. "Ahiru-chan, I have finished talking to Mrs. Aoyami. She is waiting for you."

You nodded and quickly rushed past them both, impatient to ask your grandmother the details of the crisis.

"What do you mean you're too tired?" you raged, annoyed at being thwarted yet again by the truth.

"I'm sorry, Ren…I just can't bear to tell it again tonight…" you grandmother apologised, embracing you once before walking towards the vehicle waiting to take her home.

You sighed in defeat. "I understand. But…I can come over tomorrow, can't I?"

She smiled and nodded, "Why don't we go out for the day?"

"Where to?" you asked, excited by the prospect.

"How about that fair nearby?" she suggested, "Why don't you bring your boss and his friend with you? They seem nice, although I didn't like the look on that brown-haired one's face when he got ahold of that wretched book…"

Her comment surprised you. 'What? They've already been examining the notebook Higuchi was killing with? And wait…she can't really still believe that L is my boss…can she?'

"Ok, sure. Ryuuzaki-san would enjoy the chance to speak more with you, I'm sure," you said in all honesty, "But what did you mean by the look on Yagami-kun's face?"

Your grandmother glanced towards the helicopter and then back at you. "I'll let you know tomorrow, Ren-chan."

Wondering over what she could mean, you watched as she climbed into the car and drove off back to her small apartment. Turning on the balls of your feet, you marched up to the first person you saw, determined to finally be told the entire situation. "Tell me what happened!" you demanded, tugging on a white sleeve.

"Not right now, Ahiru-chan. I need to examine this notebook," L replied, not even turning to face you.

"No, you listen to me! No one has told me the entire story. My grandmother point blank **refused **to tell me and you're the only person who knows what's really going on! So you tell me or so god help me I'll-"

"You'll what?" L challenged, deciding to pay you the respect of actually turning to face you.

"Well…" you spluttered, "How about I never finish that computer?"

L bit his thumb in contemplation, before mumbling, "Mrs. Aoyami told me that Higuchi knocked on her door and then forced himself in when she answered it. He threatened to kill her if she hadn't called you and pretended to be working for him. Apparently he was under the impression that you would do the task mentioned if you held the belief that your grandmother would kill you if you refused."

You nodded, waiting for him to continue his story.

"In fact, Higuchi had no way of killing you as he had not seen your features prior. Your grandmother refused to show him your face and so he took her hostage and forced her with him, making it obvious that if she tried to escape, she would be…disposed of. They eventually made it to this highway, and you know of the rest from there," L concluded, watching your expression for your reaction.

Not wanting him to know how you truly felt, you nodded in acknowledgement and turned to mask your face. Beginning to walk away, you stopped as you heard his voice calling your name. "Yes?" you asked, turning your head to the side.

"I will be blunt. Although I wish to believe your grandmother, I do not trust so blindly. I believe that you will see the logic in my reasoning. You should not visit your grandmother unless either myself or one of the investigation members accompanies you."

On the inside, you felt as though this was an intrusion on your rights, however, outwardly you displayed no surprise. "Of course, Ryu-kun," you grinned, realising you could use this to your advantage, "In that case, I guess you and Light-kun are coming with us to the fair tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is inconvenient…perhaps Matsuda-"

"Grandma also mentioned that she wished to talk with you…perhaps about something…secret?" you suggested, inwardly wanting them to come with you.

L sighed, possibly in defeat, and murmured, "You win, Ahiru-chan. However, I do not believe that Misa-san will be so willing to allow Light to spend the day away."

You pursued the problem. 'Misa is so attached to Light-kun…maybe she should come along as well? I mean…I bet she could probably use a day off from all of this…'

"We'll bring her too," you decided, coming to the most logical decision.

L nodded in acceptance. "I shall have to inform Light-kun and Misa-san. You should return back to the hotel. Watari will take you."

"Ok…well make sure you tell me everything you find tomorrow, and I'll see you in the morning, Ryu-kun," you said, smiling.

"Good night, Ahiru-chan."

Leaving the detective to his investigation, you made your way to Watari. "Watari-san…please take me home…" you murmured, suddenly feeling deathly tired.

"Right this way, Ahiru-san," he said, motioning towards an open car door.

Dragging yourself inside the vehicle, you were asleep by the time your head reached the headrest. 'I guess all that stress tired her out,' Watari thought, fastening your seatbelt before moving to the driver's seat.

The car pulled away and the rumbling of the engine helped to lull you further into your dream state. As you reached L's hotel, Watari drove inside and carefully picked you up and carried you to your room. All the while, you remained asleep, mentally and physically exhausted by the night's ordeals.

"Good morning, Ahiru-chan! Are you excited about today? Misa is!" a cheerful voice called out from your doorway.

You groaned half-heartedly and rolled over, still feeling exhausted. "Come back later, Misa-chan…I'll talk to you then…"

"No, you have to get up now! We're all waiting on you! Have you forgotten? You invited Misa and the others to the fair today!" said the bubbly voice.

It took a while for the information to sink in, and when it finally did, you scrambled to escape from the iron grip of your blankets.

**Thump!**

You groaned more in annoyance than pain. You heard giggling behind you and you managed to growl, "Tell anyone that I fell out of bed, Misa-chan and I'll put cotton candy in your hair."

Misa gasped, half in fake horror, and half in actual horror. "You wouldn't, would you, Ahiru-chan?"

You grinned, and threw off your blankets before turning to face her. "Don't discount it, Misa-chan!"

Suddenly feeling immature, you ran towards her, raising your hands above your head as though you were actually going to ruin her beautiful, preened hair. She squealed and turned to run. Sprinting after her down the hall, you were giggling loudly, almost manically. Misa disappeared around a corner and you heard her shout out in surprise. "Light-kun!"

Reaching the corner, you saw that Misa had run straight into Light and was currently sheltering herself behind him. "Ahh, you're cheating, Misa-chan!" you called out.

"Misa doesn't remember any rules being set!" she retaliated, poking her tongue out at you.

You pouted as you realised that she was right. It was then you realised that your hair was a mess and that both L and Light were staring at you in surprise. Not wanting them to think you vain, you casually pivoted and strolled back down the hall. As soon as you were out of their line of vision, you ran back to your room and frantically searched for your hairbrush. Quickly brushing your hair, you decided that the clothes you were wearing were fine and you exited the room. Rushing back to meet them, you felt annoyed as you saw L's mouth curl up in amusement. You strode past them in irritation. As you passed, L murmured, "It doesn't matter how you look, Ahiru-chan, you don't need to impress anyone."

You continued walking, mulling over his words. 'Does he mean that he doesn't see me as more than a friend…or does he mean that I've already impressed him so I don't need to try anymore?'

Shaking it off as a passing comment, you turned and said to them all, "Well guys, let's have fun today!"

_In reply, Light nodded, Misa cheered and punched the air, and the emotionless L stared blankly at you, obviously not amused about the situation at all. You grinned; today was going to be fun!_


	27. Chapter 27

"Just for today, Light-kun," L said, unlocking the handcuff around the teen's wrist

"Just for today, Light-kun," L said, unlocking the handcuff around the teen's wrist.

"Thanks, Ryuuzaki," Light nodded, rubbing the area where the cuff normally rested.

'I guess he thinks that if Light is Kira, he can't do anything if he's being watched the whole day by us…it's good though, Light needs a break from the constant suspicion…'

You had decided to take a limo to the park; otherwise four of you would be crowded into the backseat. As you pulled up outside her house, your grandmother had raised her eyebrow at the vehicle, but seemed willing enough to go along with it. She had seated herself on your right, as Misa had climbed in on your left, hugging onto Light's uncuffed arm. As soon as she had sat down, you quietly whispered in her ear, "Grandma…can you call me by Ahiru today? For confidentiality reasons, you see. Not everyone knows my true name…"

She looked startled at your request, but nodded nonetheless. Watari had happily accepted to drive you all, seeing as L was accompanying you to the amusement park. In Watari's words, 'Ryuuzaki, doesn't get out enough, this will be a good experience for him'. You had chuckled at L's trusted friend and mentally agreed with his words. 'If he went out any less, he'd be considered paranoid…wait, maybe he already is?'

Your grandmother had quickly introduced herself to the occupants of the car, shaking hands with them all and smiling. You were amazed at how she managed to get along with them all so well, after only meeting them for the first time today. 'I've known these people for months now…and even now I sometimes don't get along with them…'

Tuning out the conversation, it felt like a minute had passed and you were approaching the park gates. The massive sign promoting the name 'Disneyland' came into view, and Misa let out an excited squeal. "Misa hasn't been to Disneyland since she was small!"

You grinned at her reaction, not having ever been to Disneyland before. Watari stopped to drop you off and you all clambered out, Misa and you more eager to get out than the gloomy L. Leaving Light, L and your grandmother behind, Misa and you practically sprinted towards the entrance gate. "Misa wants to go to Tomorrowland, Ahiru-chan!"

"Okay!" you agreed, secretly wanting to go on the Space Mountain ride.

Pouting at having to wait for the others to catch up so you could go through the gate, the two of you rushed off straight to Tomorrowland as soon as you were through. "Ahiru-chan?" you grandmother called.

"We'll meet you there!" you called over your shoulder, feeling slightly guilty at leaving your grandmother with a studious college student and your antisocial employer.

"I didn't realise that Ahiru would be so excited about going on all the rides…" your grandmother mumbled to herself.

"Ahiru-chan hasn't really had much opportunity to go out with friends or family, I presume that she considers today the first and last time she'll ever be able to go to an amusement park and enjoy herself with the people she cares about," L consoled, finally breaking his silence.

She glanced at him in surprise, not expecting him to be able to read you so easily. Your grandma turned to watch you and Misa giggling in the line. "I guess you're right, Mr. Ryuuzaki."

The three of them caught up to the two in the line, and sighed in exasperation as they realised that the two of you were now squabbling over who was going to sit where. 'It's going to be a long day' L thought to himself.

You had been at the park for three hours already, and you and Misa had dragged the other three on almost half the rides in the park. "C'mon, one more ride and we can go eat!" you said, already dragging Misa and L by their arms to the next ride you could find. "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?" Light queried, looking down from the sign to see you had already dragged the rest of them inside.

He sweatdropped and quickly followed suit. "Misa wants to sit with Light-kun!" the ecstatic blonde exclaimed, grabbing onto Light's arm and dragging him down to sit next to her. You glanced at your grandmother to see she had already seated herself behind the couple. Deciding you wanted a seat in the front row, you latched onto an unsuspecting L's arm, and pulled him down next to you. Teasingly, you asked him why he wasn't sitting like normal. "I don't have to be a detective for now," he replied, giving you a small smile.

The train started and you looked around at the different surroundings. "Tumbleweed…" you murmured, reading one of the signs as the cart passed it.

Suddenly, you felt something warm cover your hand. Looking down, you saw L's hand sitting over yours. Surprised, you tilted your head upwards to see that he was turned away from you, staring out the side of the cart. A light blush spread itself over your cheeks, and you turned your hand so that your fingers were interlaced. For the rest of the ride, you tried to hide your wide smile at the rare show of affection. Saddened by the end of the ride, you rose and your hands broke apart, yours falling softly to your side. Climbing off the ride, you grinned at him before moving to talk to your grandmother. She gave you a knowing look and you wondered if she might have seen your hands during the ride. 'What must she think? Has she worked it all out now?'

Another few hours later, you were all tired out from the non-stop rides. You and Misa had spent ages ramming each other at the Grand Circuit Raceway, and you had managed to get Light to show an ounce of fear when you pretended to push him out of the 10-metre high Astro Blasters. 'Heh…maybe he's a little scared of heights?'

"Ahiru-chan…can we stop now? Or at least go on a nice relaxing ride to finish off?" your grandmother begged, obviously tired out from the previous rides.

"Relaxing, eh?" you grinned, knowing the perfect ride to take her on.

"Haunted Mansion?" she asked, dubiously.

"Yeah, you get to sit down whilst it takes you on a tour," you said, laughing in the inside.

She sighed in acceptance, "Fine. Fine."

Aware that you only had around half an hour until the park closed for the night, you tried to rush the tired group to the mansion. You managed to make the last ride of the day and smiled happily as you all stood in a massive room, waiting for something to happen. Hearing a voice from above, you looked up to see a suspended blanket. 'Oh…it's a ghost…' you realised, sweatdropping slightly.

After the ghost blanket had finished talking, the room either started to lower or the walls were getting higher (I seriously have no idea which one it was…--;). Feeling slightly disoriented, you filed out of the room and made your way down a dark hallway. Intrigued by the strange pictures hanging on the walls, you stopped and stared before realising that you were blocking people from advancing. Looking around, you saw that you were all alone. 'Well…so much for friends forever.'

A hand grasped your sleeve and you were about to tell the person off until you recognised them as L. "The others have already taken a seat on the ride," he informed.

Not wanting to leave them waiting for too long, you quickly got to the ride and got yourself onto a seat. L seated himself beside you and the ride started moving. Looking around eagerly, you waited to be scared. The only thing that actually managed to was a loud raven squawking right above you. Hearing muffled chuckles, you frowned at L. "It was loud," you defended, crossing your arms.

He dropped his hand from his mouth and looked at you, expression suddenly blank. "What?" you asked nervously.

Turning your head to look behind you for something which might have affected him, you saw nothing. Confused, you looked back around to question him. "I should have done this a long time ago…" you heard him murmur in the darkness.

Raising an eyebrow, you were startled when you felt a pair of lips upon your own. 'He's…kissing me?! What do I do?'

Realising that you were sitting absolutely still and not reacting at all, you tentatively reached a hand up to cup the side of his face. The kiss deepened and you felt as though in that moment, everything was right. Suddenly something screeched next to your ear and you pulled apart in shock. Seeing that the culprit was another motorized raven, you scowled at it. "I'm not sure it can see you, Ahiru-chan," he called in his soft voice.

"That's not the point," you mumbled, feeling awkward at the situation.

The chair came to an abrupt halt and you discovered that the ride was over. "Ahiru-chan! Over here!" came a high-pitched voice.

Moving to rejoin the group, you shot one last deep glance at L before talking to the rest of them. "The park is closing, we've got to leave now, Ahiru-chan," your grandmother said.

You nodded, "Yeah, okay. We've been on everything anyway…and you're all probably tired…"

Taking a good look at them, you saw that you had exhausted everyone with the constant rides. Sweatdropping, you decided not to incriminate yourself further. "Watari is at the front gate," L notified, standing beside you.

You all nodded, and talking happily, all moved to the gate to leave the park. As you walked through the gate, you hesitated and stared up at the sign. Feeling saddened, you thought to yourself, 'This might be the last time I ever come here…'

A hand found yours and intertwined your fingers. Startled, you turned to see L tugging at your hand to pull you to the waiting vehicle. A contagious grin made it's way across your face, 'Even if this is the last time I come here…I made enough memories for the rest of my life.'


	28. Chapter 28

As soon as you had arrived at your grandmother's house, she had requested to speak with you

As soon as you had arrived at your grandmother's house, she had requested to speak with you. Wondering what she could have wanted, you followed her to stand just inside her door. The way she bid farewell to them all, especially Light, made you realise that it must have been about the notebook. 'Oh! That's it! I can't believe I completely forgot! Grandma was going to tell me about what she saw yesterday.'

"Yes?" you asked, impatient with anticipation.

"Yagami Light…I don't trust him, Ren-chan. When he held that book, I swear I saw him smile…I know he's your friend, but you don't know that book. I only know what Higuchi told me about it, but that book has the power to change an ordinary person into a mass murderer," she said, speaking softly and quickly.

Her eyes darted around, as though she was expecting an attack of some kind. "You think…the note will change Light-kun if he holds it for too long?"

She frowned at your question. "Possibly…but it seemed more like it was something returning rather than just arriving…"

"Returning? Wait, what do you mean?" you asked, feeling confused and anxious.

"Ahiru-chan, will you be much longer? The others are restless to return," Watari's voice inquired from just outside the doorway.

You nearly jumped in surprise, and your eyes narrowed as you considered that he had been standing there for the whole time. Turning with a smile on your face, you informed him that you would not be much longer. "Grandma, I'm sorry, but can we finish this talk tomorrow maybe?" you queried, apologetically.

She nodded warily, obviously thinking the same thing about Watari. "Just be careful. You can never know who to trust."

"I know," you said, your voice sounding more serious than you expected.

"Good night, Ahiru-chan," she said, pulling you into a hug which you quickly returned.

"Good night, Grandma," you returned, "Make sure you call me if you're ever in any trouble."

You caught the words 'you too' before the door was closed. Walking back to the car, you saw that Watari and L were speaking through the front window of the vehicle. You sucked in breath through your teeth, knowing exactly what they were talking about. Climbing into your seat, you grinned and announced, "Let's go home."

"Did you have a good day?" Yagami asked as soon as you trudged through the door.

In response, you nodded happily, Light briefly inclined his head, Misa replied that it had been the most fun she ever remembered having, and L didn't even register the words and kept walking. You glanced at L, nervous about what was on his mind. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at you. "Ahiru-chan, would you mind if we had a talk?"

"Sure, it's no problem," you answered, suddenly feeling sick.

'It could just be nothing, or even about that kiss…but I know nothing in this hotel is ever that easy. The way Watari and L were talking before, it's almost certainly about the things my grandma said…'

Mind starting to drift, you barely noticed that you were being led by L to the room where you normally spoke about important things. 'And why did he kiss me anyway? Was it a spur of the moment thing that he regrets now? Or was it planned and thought out?'

You sighed, knowing that even asking him straight out wouldn't guarantee a truthful answer. 'I'll just have to wait and see…'

"Ahiru-chan. I'll start with the information that was given to me by Watari. Your grandmother is clearly suspicious of Light-kun on the basis that his character changed whilst holding the notebook. Do you support this theory?"

'Well…he definitely doesn't have a problem being blunt. Well, two can play that game.'

"I do not have enough information."

"You do not wish to make a decision without sufficient inquiries and research?" he questioned, seemingly intrigued.

"Yes."

He looked as though he was slightly thrown off by your answers, as though he had expected you to give him some miracle theory, but continued nonetheless. "I will not act on this information, but I will take steps to discover the truth on this matter. Now secondly, Ahiru-chan…I must request that you leave the investigation."

You reacted as though you had been physically slapped across the face. "What? Leave? When we're so close? You have got to be kidding me!" you hissed, eyes narrowing to mere slits.

This was definitely not what you expected. You had expected him to ask you about some other theory he had formed in his mind, not ask you to leave your home and your friends. "I no longer believe that your presence is necessary," he said, his face kept carefully blank.

"Necessary? How am I no longer necessary?" you asked, deciding to throw aside your intense rage and act impassively for the purposes of your inquiry.

"I commissioned you for the construction of a wrist computer, you were later asked to aid in the investigation into Kira. I am under the impression that you will finish this computer within a few hours, and this investigation no longer requires your…skills."

Clenching your hands, you barely resisted the urge to punch him square in the face. "So what? Once you've gotten what you want, I'm no longer useful? Fine. I'll leave if that's what you really want," you said, voice becoming dangerously cold.

He only nodded, as though he couldn't think of anything else to say. Spinning around to exit the room, you were nearly gone from sight when he told you to stop. Freezing, you looked over your shoulder to see that he hadn't moved. "Ahiru-chan. I would like to formally extend my gratitude for your work on this case. I would also like to request that you no longer have any contact with any members of the investigation. You will be dead to them."

Restraining your anger, you said, "Of course. Anything else, overlord of the universe?"

Glancing at you, he added, "I will continue to fund the charity. I have set it up so that it will continue for 5 years after my death. That should be sufficient time for you to acquire a new sponsor….and one last thing before you leave, if you ever need to contact me…just look."

A tirade of emotions running through you, you nodded once more before leaving the silent detective alone in the room.

Not speaking to anyone, you worked at your desk, impatient to finish the wrist device. You didn't even notice as L entered the room and sat down at his computer, earning a glance from Light. "Light-kun, please give me your wrist," the detective requested, holding out a hand.

Complying, L gently took his wrist and wrapped the beaten metal cuff around, waiting to hear a small click before releasing him. The tense atmosphere swallowed the room and all, excluding you and L, glanced at each other with concerned glances. Time passed and you exhaled wearily. You had spent the whole day excited and happy, only to come back and feel exhausted and defeated. 'I hope you're happy, L…'

Finally setting down the computer, any other day you would have stood up and cheered for joy. Today, you rose, stalked over and set the finished wrist computer on the desk next to L. Deciding that you no longer wanted to be in the room, you walked to the door. Hearing L's voice, you paused. "Everyone, I have an announcement. Ahiru-chan is leaving us."

"What, Ryuuzaki? Leaving when?" Yagami asked, surprise written all over his face.

"Now," L replied, making sure you couldn't answer.

Glaring at the back of his head, you turned to them all and smiled the best you could under the circumstances. "That's right. I'm leaving today, I know it's rather sudden but I only just found out. Goodbye everyone, it's been an honour working with you all. And I'm sure Ryuuzaki will tell you why I'm leaving…"

'When he thinks of it,' you added mentally.

Taking one last look at the room and the investigators, you left to pack before anyone could question you.

"So you're really going?" a worried Matsuda asked, standing in your doorway.

"Yeah, I'm going."

"But why? You're still needed here…"

"Yeah. Well, Ryuuzaki obviously doesn't think so as he's the one who wants me gone…" you said, feeling a pain in your chest as you spoke those hurtful words.

Matsuda frowned, "That's odd…I got the impression that the only person he really wanted to stay here, apart from Light-kun, was you."

"You thought that too, hey?" you whispered, pulling out a suitcase to begin packing.

Silence engulfed the two of you, Matsuda quietly watching as you raided your room to fit everything in your bags. "Well, at least give me your phone number before you go," he said, his comment making you give him a disbelieving stare.

"No! I meant…just as friends. I know the last thing you probably want right now is a relationship," the young policeman explained, rubbing the nape of his neck.

You stared down at your full suitcase. 'The last thing I want…?'

Looking up to see him, you smiled. Through this entire time, Matsuda had supported you and given you advice whenever you needed it. "Sure. I'll give you my number."

Shocked, Matsuda fumbled for a piece of paper and a pen and you wrote it down for him. "Don't be afraid to give me a call," you grinned, feeling closer to him than any other investigator at the moment.

Picking up your bag, you carried it to the door, and quickly glanced around the room to make sure you hadn't forgotten anything. Seeing that you hadn't, you closed the door in an act of closure. Matsuda walked you to the front entrance of the hotel where a taxi was waiting, and you were quickly grasped into his arms as you bid farewell. "It's okay, I'm sure we'll meet again…"

"Yeah…" he said, his voice coarse with emotion, "I'll make sure of it."

Placing your bags in the trunk, you slid into the back seat and looked out the window. You waved at Matsuda as you pulled away from the curb, and gazing up at the empty-looking building, your eyes locked with a man standing at the window on the second floor. The man had pale skin and dark hair, and as the cab drove out of sight, you swear you saw a sad smile on his face as he waved goodbye.


	29. Chapter 29

Reaching your grandmother's apartment, you tipped the taxi driver and pulled your bags out of the trunk

Reaching your grandmother's apartment, you tipped the taxi driver and pulled your bags out of the trunk. Smiling at the driver, he nodded in return and pulled off from the curb, leaving you alone on the sidewalk. Hauling your bags across to the building, you knocked on her front door. It opened slightly and you saw her face appear in the opening to peer outside. "Ren?" she queried, as though she didn't believe it was really you standing there.

You nodded, not trusting your throat enough to speak. She fully opened the door and gestured for you to enter. You dragged your bags inside and dropped them in her living room. "Do you mind…if I stay here for a while?" you mumbled, feeling immensely exhausted.

She shook her head in reply and you sat down on the couch, your head in your hands. "Ren-chan?" your grandmother asked, worry etched across her expression, "What happened? Were you…fired?"

You emitted a short bitter laugh, "Yeah…I was fired."

Feeling a depression in the couch and warmth at your side, you knew your grandmother had sat down beside you to offer you support. "It's okay, Ren…just tell me everything, and no more of these lies about L being your company boss."

You glanced up in surprise, confusion showing in your eyes. She smiled at your reaction, and said, "You didn't have me fooled for one minute. I knew what you were, what you did and who you were working for all along."

"What? Then why did you pretend you didn't know?" you questioned, forgetting your despair in the face of this new discovery.

"It was easier. On me and you…and it also prevented a certain conversation with your 'Ryuuaki-san'".

"He was never mine," you murmured, feeling despair hovering over your head again.

"Oh…so he's the reason for this…" your grandmother trailed off.

"Yeah…" you started, "Well, if you know so much then you should know that we were investigating Kira and that I was assisting in the investigation…Ryuuzaki offered me a place to stay if I built him a computer so I stayed until it was finished…and then he told me…that I wasn't necessary anymore."

Your grandmother's eyes widened at the information, and she took the time to contemplate before she spoke. "And that's why you left?"

Nodding, you spat out bitterly, "I must have been fooling myself to think for even one second that I meant more to him than just an IQ…"

Your vision began to blur and you felt tears cascading down your face. You buried your face in your hands again, not wanting to admit to yourself that it could hurt this much. Your grandmother rubbed circles on your back, making soft soothing noises. You sobbed even more at your grandmother's sympathetic touch. Feeling helpless in the situation, your grandmother thought to herself, 'I know it hurts…but it's for your own good, Ren-chan…'

Waking up, you rubbed your eyes and climbed out from underneath the covers of your bed. Fully opening your eyes, you felt panicked. 'What happened?! Where am I?!'

It was then that you remembered the events of the last few days. Feeling tears prickling at your eyes, you roughly whipped them away and exited your temporary room with a smile on your face. "Good morning, Ren-chan. How are you feeling?" your grandmother asked as you entered the kitchen.

A delicious aroma reached your nose and your stomach growled. "Alright, but I'd be even better if I find out what smells so good right now," you laughed, moving closer to the frying pan on the stove top.

"Pancakes, but you'll have to wait a few more minutes before it's finished cooking," your grandmother smiled, standing at the stove wearing a crisp, white apron.

Looking at her smiling face made you feel nostalgic. 'I wish Mum and Dad were still alive…sitting here at this table with me while Grandma cooks us breakfast…'

A flash of bitterness crossed your expression, 'I guess the whole reason that it is just us, is because of her.'

You sighed as you watched her expertly flip the pancakes, 'But still…everything she's done since she…changed…now I can't help but love her…'

She placed a pile of pancakes on a plate and brought them over the table. Putting the plate in front of you, she sat down opposite and calmly watched you eat. Feeling awkward under her gaze, you sent a questioning look to her. "I already ate…and watching you…makes me happy," she replied, looking away.

Grinning, you went back to eating your enticing breakfast. Once you had finished, you thanked her for the meal and washed your plate in the sink. "What are your plans for today, Grandma?" you queried, wondering what you were going to do with your day.

"I was going to go to the shelter. You're welcome to accompany me, Ren-chan," she answered, her lips curled up at the edges.

You nodded and asked if you could possibly stop at the park on the way home. Whilst moving towards the front door, she replied, "Sure, now you better get dressed and we then we can go."

Spending time at the shelter helped you recover a little from yesterday's happenings. It calmed you and made you wonder if you could spend the rest of your life like this. You exited the shelter with your grandmother walking beside you, and for the first time since the day at Disneyland, you felt truly happy. 'Maybe I could get used to this lifestyle…maybe I could just drop out of the detective business altogether and live a happy, fulfilled life…forget everything I've ever been through…forget the name Ahiru…forget the name L…?'

You snapped out of your thoughts, surprised by where they had turned. Even when thinking about something completely unrelated, your thoughts drifted back to him. Shaking your head in irritation earned you a look from your grandmother. "Is something on your mind?" she asked, as you walked down the street towards the park.

Deciding to tell her the truth, you sought her opinion, "Grandma, do you think I could get used to this life?"

She tilted her head up to look at the sky, "Anything's possible, Ren-chan. But more importantly, what I've learnt …is that you have to do something you love."

"Love…" you trailed off, drifting back into your previous thoughts.

You finally reached the park and you wandered through, no particular objective in mind. "Grandma…do you ever regret doing what you did?" you suddenly asked, catching her by surprise.

"That's an awfully heavy question, Ren…" she choked out.

"Please, just answer," you said, a pleading tone entering your voice.

"Of course I do…every day. Sometimes I find myself thinking…about what life might have been like if I'd chosen a different path…" she admitted, her voice becoming fraught with emotion.

Although you had expected such a reaction, you didn't expect the sadness in her voice. You felt like you should apologise for bringing up the topic but you needed the answer. You needed to know if she wondered the same thing as you. If she wished she could take it all back, live a normal life. In a small voice, you whispered, "I forgive you."

Her eyes darted to you, surprise showing on her face. "What?"

Turning to face her, you repeated those three words. "I forgive you."

Her mouth quirked upward, relief and delight shining in her watery eyes. She flung her arms around you and whispered thank you. "I thought I'd never hear you say that," she said, smiling.

All the bitterness you felt towards her for everything she had done had melted away, long gone. You had made your decision, you had decided on forgiveness. "Let's go home, Grandma," you said, releasing her from your embrace and turning to face the direction of her apartment.

Days passed and you busied yourself in working with your grandmother. Your phone rang repeatedly but you never answered it, leaving it to ring out until the person gave up and it resorted back to peaceful stillness. You gradually got used to the rhythm of daily life and found that you were even starting to enjoy a mediocre existence. However, you were thrown back into the thick of things with just one phone call from a terrified investigator.

The phone rang and rang, calling for you to answer the person waiting for you on the other line. It stopped and you released a heavy sigh. However, only seconds later, it rang again, seemingly more urgently this time. Exhaling in annoyance, you decided to answer it. Pulling yourself off the couch where you had been reading, you stumbled over to your phone and looked at the caller I.D. Not recognising the number, you debated about whether to answer. The shrill tone hurt your eardrums and you made a mental note to change your ring tone to something quieter. Pressing the button, you lifted the phone to your ear. A panicked voice called out, "Ahiru! Ahiru, is that you??"

"Matsuda?" you asked, disbelieving.

"Ahiru, thank god! I didn't want to believe him!"

"Wait, believe who?"

"Ryuuzaki-san…he told us you were dead!" the investigator burst out, relief evident in his voice.

"What, why?" you queried, confused.

"I think…he was trying to protect you. That was his plan all along; it was the reason he sent you away. He told me the truth in the letter he left for me when he…when he…"

'He was trying to protect me? That sounds like something he would do…but why then? I was in danger before…why that particular day?'

"When he what, Matsuda-kun?" you asked, realising that Matsuda had trailed off.

"_Well…I didn't believe that you really could have died in a freak car crash, but I couldn't bring myself to call you…what if it was true? But…I had to call you today because…well, Ahiru-chan…Ryuuzaki is dead."_


	30. Chapter 30

"I'm sorry, what

"I'm sorry, what?" you asked, making a mental note to get your hearing checked.

"He's…dead, Ahiru-chan," Matsuda said, sounding very much as though he wanted to never speak those words again.

'That can't be right. Ryu-kun always has another plan. He escaped somehow, I know it…he can't be dead, can he?.'

"How?"

"Kira," Matsuda explained, his voice straining, "They must have found out Ryuuzaki-san's real name…and used it."

'It seems unlikely…that they would just find out like that…it's too convenient,' you thought, biting your lip to control your emotions.

"Ahiru-chan…I think I know what you're doing. And I'm sorry for telling you this, but he's really…gone. Please accept this as the truth!" Matsuda called through the phone, pinpointing your thoughts exactly.

"I'm coming to headquarters, let everyone know," you said, briskly, already planning how to get there in the shortest amount of time possible.

"Ahiru-chan…Ryuuzaki-san pretended you had died for a reason. Do you want to disrespect his memory by going against a safeguard he laid down to protect you?"

His words made you feel both angry and indecisive Angry because Matsuda had managed to manipulate the situation to his advantage, and indecisive because you were unsure if you really wanted to confirm his words. 'If I go, I'll be going against Ryu-kun…and he must have done this for a good reason. But…if I don't, I won't ever have the chance to see him again…'

"Matsuda-kun, who are you talking to?" inquired a voice on the other line, one you recognised as belonging to long-time suspect, Yagami Light.

"Uh, no one! I mean…just a friend," Matsuda stammered, caught off-guard by Light's probing question.

"Okay, just tell me when you're finished…we need to have a meeting about what our next course of action should be," Light said, you could hear his voice fading as he walked away.

You frowned, 'It's been less than a day and he's already reorganizing everyone…'

"Ahiru-chan, just please don't come. It would complicate things even more right now…I'll call you tomorrow when I know the date of the funeral. Bye," Matsuda finished quickly, hanging up the phone before you could protest.

Your hand dropped to your side and your eyes stared blankly at the whitewashed wall. Standing up, you walked into your room and closed the door behind you, ignoring your grandmother's calls asking you what you wanted to have for dinner. Reaching your bed, you sat down, uncharacteristically still. Turning your head to face the bedside table, you unlocked a drawer to find a metal photo frame. Pulling it free from its hiding place, you suddenly felt it hit you. "He's gone…he's really gone…" you mumbled, your voice strangely higher pitched than normal.

Pictures of you two together flashed through your mind, leaving scratches and rips in their wake. Grasping the metal edge of the frame, you brought it up to your face to see the two occupants. Your face smiled back at you, filled with naïve happiness, unaware of the pain you'd later feel. Moving your eyes almost reluctantly over to the other person in the picture, you felt as though someone had gripped you by the throat. Tears began to form in your eyes as you looked down at the man you had tried to share a special bond with. "After all of the planning you did…it's ironic that you'd be the one to die, L…" you managed to murmur, the intense sadness inhibiting your ability to speak.

You kept staring down at the detective, not wanting to believe the truth that was so clearly presented in front of your own eyes. "You wanted to catch Kira so much…to prove that you were better than him…but in the end, you were the one who lost it all," you said, smiling sadly.

"Maybe I should have done something, demanded that you leave and save your life before it came to this…maybe I should have told you the truth, instead of hiding behind veiled gestures and vague words," you wept, feeling the cruel emotion of regret sweeping through you.

Releasing a laugh which sounded bitter even to your own ears, you glanced down at the photo one last time before laying it face down on the table. "Maybe," you started, lying down on your bed and closing your tear-filled eyes, "I should have told you I loved you…"

Your grandmother leaned against the wall outside your room. She had heard you crying, and the sound tore at her very heart. However, she had remained silent, waiting for your sobs to cease. Judging you to be sleeping, she opened the door quietly and glanced in. You were curled up on your bed, hair fanning out across the pillow you laid on. Moving closer, she briefly touched your arm, wanting to make sure that you were alright. 'Well…as alright as someone in her situation could be. I'm so sorry, Ren-chan…Ryuuzaki-san told me everything, but he made me promise not to tell you the truth. And you found out anyway…though not the circumstances either of us would have liked…'

Looking down at you, she caught sight of the tears that had dried on your face. Her expression showed her sadness and she removed her hand from your arm. Turning quickly away, she left the room, no longer feeling as though she wanted to remain with your sleeping form.

Yawning sleepily, you sat up and looked around. 'Another day,' was your first thought.

Reaching out one hand you were surprised to find cool metal in place of your plastic hairbrush. Looking across, you felt the emotions almost overwhelm you again. Picking up the frame, you stared at it blankly before replacing it and pulling yourself out of bed. "Morning, Grandma," you called, seeing your grandmother cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

'Business as usual…'

"Your friend called earlier on your mobile, but you were still sleeping so I answered it for you. He told you to call him back as soon as you could. He said he had an important message for you," your grandmother said, her voice nonchalant.

"Was his name Matsuda?" you questioned, certain it was the young police officer.

"No…I'm pretty sure he said his name was…Matsui," your grandmother replied, briefly raising her head to take in your disheveled appearance.

You merely nodded in reply; Matsui had been Matsuda's fake name after all.

After breakfast, you eagerly phoned the detective; wanting to know what news he had for you. "Yes?" warily asked a voice.

"It's Ahiru, Matsuda-kun. So, do you know when the…funeral is?" you questioned, choking slightly over the word, funeral.

"It's today, actually. We're leaving in a few minutes. You should be able to…say goodbye after we've all left. Here, I'll give you the address."

You affirmed the address and were about to hang up when his voice cut in. "Oh, by the way, Ryuuzaki-san left you an envelope…I can leave it by the grave if you like."

"Oh…yeah, sure. That'd be great Matsuda. Thanks, you know…for doing this all for me," you said, sincerity showing in your voice.

"Well, it's got to be getting me some brownie points…only too happy to assist," Matsuda joked, his normal personality momentarily replacing his serious self.

"I appreciate it, Matsuda-kun," you said, hanging up the phone with a small smile upon your features.

Matsuda and the others had left only minutes before you arrived. You had nearly bumped into Light as he walked by himself back to the waiting car. 'He must have stayed longer…I guess he was the closest…I hope he's handling this alright…'

Approaching the common tombstone, you read the name before kneeling down to lay some flowers on his grave. Catching sight of the envelope obviously left for you by Matsuda, you retrieved it and hid it away inside your pocket. Your eyes then turned back to the cold stone before you. 'I know you'd probably think less of me, seeing me here blubbering away and giving you flowers…but it's really all I can do to deal with the space you've left.'

"This is my farewell to you, Ryu-kun. I hope you find happiness in your next life, more than this life ever spared you. I'm sorry I wasn't there in your final moments, but know that I will wish I had been every day for the rest of my life…"

You rose, dusting the dirt off your knees, before straightening up to stare at vivid blue sky. "I guess the only thing left to tell you now…is that you are the one who I will never release my bonds with…I will continue to love you until I join you in the afterlife…pray that we may meet again there."

Swiftly turning on your heel, you walked away from his gravestone, no longer wanting to see his name inscribed in golden letters on that cold, gray granite.

_Arriving home later than you expected, you removed your shoes and moved over to sit on the couch in the living room. Remembering something, you reached into your pocket and drew out the plain, white envelope. Taking the utmost care, you opened it and pulled out a sheet of writing paper. You tried to recognise the style before realising that you had never seen L write. Smiling at your own stupidity, you looked down at the paper and began to read. The words on the paper caused your eyes to widen and your mouth to fall open in shock. Written on the paper, was the complete truth from the man once deemed the best three detectives in the world._


	31. Chapter 31

Ahiru,

Ahiru,

Your reading of this letter confirms that I am, in fact, dead. As I am not sure when you will receive this, or if you ever will, understand that I must omit certain information. I have written this letter because I know that you have given Matsuda your phone number and he will, without fail, try and contact you as soon as he is no longer under my surveillance. It is under this belief that I write this letter to you.

I will start off by saying that everything that I have done which has harmed you in some way, was solely for the prolonging of your life. I cannot say that I do not regret some of my hasty words, but they were to save you and for that I ask you to forgive me. Your departure was not my decision but the decision that was the only available to me.

After all your questions, it's ironic that I may only be given the chance to answer them in death. You asked me once where I was raised, I can tell you now that my childhood was spent in an English orphanage. However, it was not an ordinary orphanage, we were given cases to solve even though we were young, and Watari recognised the prowess I showed and it is because of him that I became a detective.

Another thing which I'm afraid I can only answer in death, is the question you asked about what I hold close to my heart. These things are not material, but are in fact the memories that I keep. I apologise for sounding somewhat clique, but if I could choose only one to remember, it would be the day we spent together at the amusement park…your smiles that day made my life worthwhile. However, I have to admit, your smiles that day sealed your fate. If it had not been for them, I may have forgotten that you have your entire life ahead of you to smile…and I may have been selfish enough to keep you by my side.

Please forgive me for my decisions, if there could have been any other way to change what has occurred, believe me when I say I would have changed this fate. I hope that this letter has not burdened you with more unanswered questions, and I hope that you will be able to advance past this and that you will have learned something from our time together. My last request to you is that you remove yourself from society for the next year, and forget about the Kira case. I know that this will be difficult for you, but please listen to me when I say that I am only thinking of your future.

I must end this soon; the bells are starting to ring louder now. I have never been gifted with farewells so I'm afraid I must end this by stating that, Detective Ahiru, I am grateful to have been given the chance to work alongside you. Your company over many nights is most appreciated and it is unfortunate that I will not be given the honour of your friendship any longer.

Best regards for the future,

L.

Tears dripped onto the paper as your suppressed emotions overwhelmed you in this moment. "Ryu-kun, you will always have my friendship and everything else that belongs to me…" you murmured, your shaking hands crumpling the paper.

You dropped it and decided that you needed to take a walk to try and clear your battling emotions. The letter fell somewhere on the floor, but your numbed senses disregarded the paper as you grabbed your coat and left the apartment you shared with your grandmother.

Walking slowly down the street, you glanced up at the sky, as though the stars would give you the helping advice you longed for. 'Even in death his words are cryptic…he said he didn't want me to leave his side, but in the end he talked to me as though I was just a work associate…'

"Did he ever love me?"

The sky stared back, seemingly unconcerned with the plights of one small human. You sighed heavily, realising that you were now never going to receive the answer to that important question. 'I thought his letter would reveal everything, that he would finally put down in words what he couldn't bring himself to say to me in person…but now I'm starting to doubt that those feelings ever existed. If you love someone, wouldn't you tell them before it was too late? But then…that's exactly like something L would do…evasive and vague until the end…'

Your head dropped and your gaze turned to the ground. It struck you that you had managed to wander into the park where you normally came to think. 'I walked all the way here out of habit, hey?'

The trees on either side of the small concrete path seemed uninviting and warned you not to enter their murky depths for fear of losing yourself in this dense forest. You stuck to the path and followed it all the way to the center of the park, where it branched off in four different directions. You wondered which way you should walk, south would take you home quickest, but north would take you by the flower beds. Deciding that you needed something to cheer you up, you wandered over to the northern path. Upon reaching the flowers, you knelt and smiled sadly at them. "It's not like you have anything more to worry about than getting enough sun and water…how great it must be to live a life so fulfilled on such few things."

Your gaze drifted across the numerous flowerbeds before it came to rest on something suspicious. Straightening, you made your way over to the farthest flowerbed. Narrowing your eyes down at the innocent plants, you swore you saw a flash of white. Leaning down, your hand searched through the flowers to grasp something thin and solid. Withdrawing your hand, you were surprised to find that in your hand was a black notebook, the words 'Death Note' scrawled untidily on its surface. You peered down at its surface, disbelieving. 'How can this be? I thought there wasn't any others!'

"About time you found it, it's been such a hassle to direct you to this place," called a rough voice.

Eyes wide, you spun around to locate the source of the voice. A tap on your shoulder caused you to pivot around again and you came to face a skull. You screamed and fell backwards, tripping over a flowerbed to unceremoniously crash to the ground. "Yeah, that's the normal reaction," the skull chuckled, its voice now taking on an amused tone.

"I know what this is," you began, glancing to the book snug in your arms, "But who and what are you?"

The skeleton stretched itself to its full height and you noted a headdress perched on top of its cranium. As it moved, the various beads and adornments rattled, causing you to immediately think of a Native American. "You know what the Death Note does, hey? I thought as much. Well, I guess it only makes this explanation easier. I suppose I should start by introducing myself…my name is Hado and I am what you humans call, a God of Death."


	32. Chapter 32

"S-Shinigami

"S-Shinigami? I…I guess that makes sense…but why was I never told that they were connected to the notebook?" you wondered, half to the hovering death god in front of you.

"Maybe because a certain detective wanted to keep you safe and ignorant," the death god grinned, fixing you with a knowing stare.

You almost stepped back in surprise but restrained yourself at the last second. It would not help you to look weak and foolish in front of such a formidable being. "How do you know these things?" you queried, feeling suspicious.

"As soon as this world began to change because of 'Kira'…I couldn't help but take an interest in human happenings. Turns out that humans are more amusing than I thought-"

"Our lives are amusing to you? Is that all we are? Just a bunch of stupid pawns to be laughed at?" you spat, angry at how he had phrased his words.

"Well, to us…you are," Hado said, an almost apologetic tone entering his voice.

You exhaled and tried to take in all this new information. "You said 'this world'…does this mean you're from another?" you tried again, trying to find a subject where no conflict could arise.

He inclined his head and you waited for him to elaborate. Silence fell between you and you frowned up at him, crossing your arms. "Don't feel like talking about your world, hey?" you inquired, trying to hide your curiousity about this strange creature.

He scowled back at you and you realised that you were no longer feeling so surprised about the existence of other worlds and gods of death. 'I guess believing in notebooks that can kill and self-proclaimed gods has really had an effect on my open-mindedness…'

"So…if you're a shinigami…does that mean that every Death Note comes with one?" you questioned, wanting as much information as possible from your new ally.

"Shinigami do not 'come with Death Notes' as you say…we are the owners of these notes and it is only because of us that humans acquire the knowledge of our existence," Hado bristled, seemingly insulted by your allegation that shinigami were enslaved to mere books.

"Sorry…but I don't exactly know everything about your world…I can only guess at something which is so foreign to me," you apologised, smiling slightly.

He nodded, as if accepting your apology, and spoke again, "We, Shinigami, write names of humans in our Death Notes and take their lifespan for our own…it is this which prolongs our empty lives and is the reason why we must take an interest in the human world."

Your eyes widened as you considered the concept of living on other people's lifespans. "But how do you know how much life you're getting?"

"Aoyami Ren, 637529," Hado replied, his face showing that he was looking somewhere just above your head.

Resisting the urge to feel the air above your hair, you tentatively asked, "My lifespan…hovers above my head?"

"Can you think of a better place to put it?" he challenged, as though defending the idea.

"I guess not…" you admitted, trailing off.

It was then you noticed how dark the surrounding area was, and that you were technically all alone in the park at night. "Maybe I should get home…" you murmured, a wave of unease washing over you.

"Don't you mean maybe **we** should get home?" the shinigami grinned, amused by your shocked expression, "Everywhere that notebook goes, I go."

You stared for a minute before sighing and gesturing for him to follow you, "C'mon then. There's nothing I can say to convince you otherwise…"

"Ren! You're finally home!" your grandmother exclaimed, the happiness in her voice making you wary.

Your eyes darted to the arm concealed behind her back and you exhaled as you realised what had happened. "It's okay, Grandma…I won't be angry just because you read that letter."

The smile faded quickly from her face as she brought her arm around to gaze at the white paper. "I'm sorry, Ren-chan…I just saw it lying there and picked it up."

You both stood there in silence before an ominous presence registered behind you. "Oh, I have a question for you," you started, waiting for her to meet your eyes.

"Yes?" she asked, her response slightly delayed.

"Did Higuchi tell you about Death Gods?" you queried, your voice sounding too cheerful to carry the weight of the question.

When she only looked at you in confusion, you waved your hand quickly in front of your face and told her you were only joking. "I'm going to my room now," you said, wanting to escape the growing tension in the small living room.

On your way out, your grandmother grabbed your arm and handed you the letter. "No matter what happens, Ahiru…I will be here for you," she whispered before grasping you in a clumsy hug and leaving the room.

Dazed, you stood still for a second before recovering and making your way to your room. 'I guess I'm worrying her a little with my behaviour lately…but that's to be expected, it's not as if I have the most normal life in the world, is it?' you mused, smiling bitterly to yourself.

"Care to share your thoughts?" Hado butted in, almost making you jump as you remembered his presence.

Ignoring his remark, you realised that you had forgotten to ask him a very obvious question. "Why was it specifically me who you were directing to this note?"

The shinigami seemed to grin as he looked down at you. "You finally noticed, hey?"

You stared defiantly back, waiting for him to answer. Instead, he retrieved a torn page he had hidden away, and handed it to you. "This note was from a…I suppose you humans would consider our relations to be…a friendship."

Hesitantly, you raised the page so you could read the hastily scribbled words.

Hado, my time is at an end. This is a request for you, for the only friend I can ever claim I had. I request that this Death Note which I give to you, you then pass on to the human, Aoyami Ren. It is important that she receive this, along with the knowledge of the eraser. I do not have time to explain the reason for this, I can only say that she befriended another human I cared for and that because of my shortcomings, she unfairly lost the human that she had cared for. I apologise for the shortness of this letter, but my time is also short so I must end this message now… please fulfill this request of mine and gain me my forgiveness. Rem.

The words, which you could only half-comprehend, stared blankly up at you from the paper. 'What does it mean…a human they cared for? Were they a Death God as well?'

You looked up, eyes wide. "This Rem…who were they?"

For the first time since you met him, the shinigami displayed an expression of sadness. "She died for the human she fell in love with," he said quietly, no evidence of judgement in his voice.

You looked down at the page and tried to construct an image of this fallen god from their scrawl. "Well whoever this shinigami was…from her words she must have had a heart and a conscience…something I can't say all humans are blessed with…" you mumbled to yourself, feeling loss for this shinigami you had never known.

Standing silently for a minute to show your respect, a word jumped out and brought itself to your attention. "Wait…eraser? What does that mean?"

"The Death Eraser…if you erase the name of a human with this, as long as their body is not burned, they will regain their life," the shinigami explained, looking at you curiously.

"What? Such a thing exists?" you stammered, shock reverberating up your spine.

"Why? Do you want it?" Hado teased, a white eraser materializing in his bony hand.

"Well…who would I bring back?" you frowned, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Take a look through the book, see if any name strikes your eye…" the shinigami grinned, fiddling with the eraser.

Feeling apprehensive, you opened the book and flipped through, shocked at the amount of names written on the tidy, white pages. You grew interested in the names and began to peruse through them. Taking your time, it was much later when you came to the last name written in Rem's Death Note. The breath caught in your throat and you felt like you were going to pass out. "This…L Lawliet…is it the person I think it is?" you stuttered, feeling dizzy.

"Depends…who do you think it is? If it's a human who constantly ate the food called sweets, then yes," Hado said, amused by your reaction.

"You mean…I could…bring him back?" you barely managed to choke out, daring to hope.

"Your darling human detective who you care oh-so-much about? Sure," the death god said.

Your eyes narrowed at his casual words. "At what price does it sell for?"

"Well, I don't think it actually has a price…you just have to ask for it," Hado admitted, stroking his chin with his skeletal hand.

"So…can I have the Death Eraser, Hado?" you requested, holding out your hand.

As the small, white eraser dropped into your hand, you curled your fingers around it and stared straight ahead, feeling as though all your hopes rested in this piece of normal-looking rubber. The eraser was poised above the name before something occurred to you. "Wait…won't he, uh…regain his life whilst he's still in a coffin?"

"The effects are immediate, so I would assume so," he replied, "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" you scoffed, a plan forming in your mind, "How would you like to find yourself buried alive? I need to make a phone call…"

You lunged for the phonebook you kept beside the phone, found the number you were looking for and quickly dialed it. "Hello, this is Detective Takashi. I am sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, Mr. Haraki but I am afraid that this is a matter of utmost importance. I believe that you buried a body early today in plot number 183?" you inquired, manipulating your voice to sound mature and full of authority.

"Uh…yes. The Watanabe Aito plot?" the bemused cemetery overseer on the end of the line asked.

"Yes. New evidence has arisen giving us reason to suspect that this man was in fact, victim of a murder. How soon can you raise the coffin?" you spoke, crossing your fingers.

"Umm…well I can probably have it up in…half an hour?" he replied, sounding as though he wasn't looking forward to the task.

"This is much appreciated, Mr. Haraki. A police vehicle will be awaiting the coffin outside the gate, please load the coffin inside the vehicle," you said, hanging up the phone.

Quickly dialing the next number, you managed to rent a vehicle closely resembling something used by the police and you were off and out the door without a second thought. You picked up the vehicle, paying a hefty tip for waking the rental man up at this time of night, and drove it to the cemetery. Dressed in dark navy clothes, you flashed a fake badge before directing the man to place the heavy coffin in the back of the van. He did so and you thanked him before pulling yourself back up into the driver's seat and pulling away from the cemetery. It wasn't too long before you grew too excited and you had to pull over at the curb to instigate the last, most important piece of your plan. You climbed into the back of the vehicle and felt glad that you had the foresight to rent a van with a light in the back compartment. Turning it on, you felt a lump grow in your throat as you caught sight of the dark, wooden coffin sitting on the dusty floor. Pulling out the Death Note and the eraser, a voice asked behind you, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

You laughed humourlessly before replying to the shinigami, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't…and if this works…I can bring back Watari as well…"

Hado nodded and receded back into the shadows of the van. Taking a deep breath, you placed the eraser on the page and rubbed out the name of the detective you would give everything for. Almost immediately afterwards, you heard movement in the coffin. You started, although you were supposed to have been expecting it. 'Did…it work? What happens if he's a…zombie or something? What happens if I've resurrected him and now he's going to kill me? Maybe that was why there wasn't a price…because no one in their right mind would go ahead with such a thing?!' you panicked, suddenly feeling as though you had made a dire mistake.

"Oh no! What do I do?" you cried out, not seeing Hado's grinning face in the darkness.

You silently had an anxiety attack before something abolished all of your fears – a muffled, slightly panicked voice. "Hello? Anyone? Can anyone hear me?"

Pulling your face out of your hands, you stared in surprise at the still-locked coffin. "Ryuuzaki?" you ventured, crawling closer to the wooden box.

"Ahiru?" called the voice, sounding more in control of their emotions this time.

"Ryu-kun? Is that really you?"

"Of course it is. Ahiru, where am I?"

"You-you're in a coffin," you explained, fumbling with the locks on the coffin.

The locks eventually opened and you hesitantly lifted the lid. As it opened, the figure inside sat up and stared around, blinking under the harsh unnatural light. You breathed out the breath you hadn't even realised you had been holding, as you saw that this person in the coffin was Ryuuzaki just as you remembered him. No zombie, no rotting flesh, just pure L with deep eyes and a hesitant smile. "Ahiru-chan?" he asked, sounding utterly confused.

Your eyes refocused as you were drawn from your thoughts, and you did the first rational thing that came to your mind – you threw your arms around the puzzled man. "Ryu-kun…I forbid you from ever leaving my sight for more than 5 minutes ever again!"

The surprised detective returned your embrace and chuckled softly, taking his sudden reincarnation better than you expected. He responded to your demand by saying, "I promise…I'll never leave you again, Ren-chan."

"You know…Ryu-kun, you never told me how you felt…" you said, trailing off as you waited for him to understand.

He smiled his adorable smile and looked you straight in the eyes before saying, "Ren-chan, I always loved you, even in death."

_Right before you captured his smiling mouth with your own, you grinned and murmured, "So much for 'till death do us part…"_


End file.
